An Airborne Experiment on Snow Parameter Retrieval by Means of Multi-Channel SAR Data

Abstract:
An airborne SAR experiment was carried out in order to investigate the L-Band and X-Band interaction with alpine snow and to study the capabilities for retrieving physical snow parameters. The investigations, including polarimetry and multi-baseline interferometry, were carried out at the high alpine area Kühtai, located in the Eastern Alps of Austria. New insights into the radar signal interaction with snow are presented showing significant effects of small dielectric changes at the snow surface layer on the interferometric phase at L-band and on backscatter intensity at X-band. First results of the analysis of the multi-baseline L-Band data set applying the Pol-InSAR technique are presented.