Using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to estimate bathymetry and volume of shallow North Slope lakes

Abstract

"An efficient and cost effective method of monitoring North Slope lakes is essential for balancing the needs of industrial and environmental consumers. Arctic lakes are necessary for supporting facility and drilling operations. They are also integral parts of the Arctic ecosystem. Lakes are advantageous sites for long term monitoring of climate change. Remote sensing is a cost effective tool for sustained monitoring of this large and inaccessible environment. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) was used in conjunction with the Modified Stefan's ice thickness equation to estimate bathymetry and volume of three North Slope lakes. A series C-band SAR images taken over the 2000-2001 winter were processed to differentiate between grounded and floating ice. The ice thickness of each pixel was estimated by recording the date it became grounded and the corresponding ice thickness of that date. Ice thickness was used to determine water depth, which was used to create bathymetric maps and estimate volume. The bathymetric estimates using the SAR methodology for lakes S0901, S0902 and S0903 produced an 18.08% underestimate, 19.06% underestimate and a 6.53% overestimate, when compared to ground truthed bathymetry. These results demonstrate that this method can be used for reliable, low cost evaluation of these important resources"--Leaf iii