Comparison of PALSAR-2 Interferometric Estimates of Snow Water Equivalent, Airborne Snow Observatory Snow Depths, and Results from a Distributed Energy Balance Snow Model (iSnobal)
Abstract
The interferometric approach to estimating snow water equivalent (SWE) leverages the fact that at relatively low frequencies ( 1 GHz, L-Band), differences in snow microstructure and layering do not significantly affect the radar backscatter of dry snow. At these frequencies, the main contribution of the radar backscatter is the snow/ground interface, and the difference in the timing of the radar propagation through the snowpack is controlled by snow depth, density and liquid water content. While engineering limitations prevent direct measurement of absolute radar travel-time, interferometric phase shift between acquisitions can be used to monitor changes in radar travel-time, caused by changes in snow properties. PALSAR-2 is a L-Band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) aboard the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) ALOS-2 satellite. Launched in 2014, PALSAR-2 interferometric pairs geographically and temporally overlap data collected by the NASA/JPL Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) which provides spatial distribution of snow depths across basins (e.g. Tuolumne, CA and Grand Mesa, CO) identified as contributing significantly to NASA's multi-year airborne SnowEx campaign. As part of ASO's operational requirements, a spatially distributed energy balance snow model (iSnobal) is run over these domains estimating density (and other snow properties) and providing SWE products for water resource managers as well as other cryospheric science applications. This effort identifies PALSAR-2 satellite pairs closely coincident with ASO collections, processes interferometric products of coherence and phase change, and compares these results with the spatially distributed snow depths from ASO and modeled snow densities from iSnobal. Moreover, for satellite acquisitions not temporally matching the ASO collections, the modeled snow properties (depths and densities) from iSnobal are used for comparison with interferometric estimates of SWE. The integration of ground measurements, physics-based simulation modeling, and airborne and space-based remote sensing provides a more comprehensive understanding of how the seasonal snow cover develops and ablates in mountain regions than a single method would alone.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFM.C33B0771D
- Keywords:
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- 0758 Remote sensing;
- CRYOSPHERE