Topographic mapping using a multibeam radar altimeter

Author

Parsons, Chester L. ; Walsh, Edward J. ; Vandemark, Douglas C.

Author_Institution

Lab. for Hydrospheric Processes, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Island, VA, USA

Volume

32

Issue

6

fYear

1994

fDate

11/1/1994 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

1170

Lastpage

1178

Abstract

An airborne radar altimeter operating at 36 GHz is uniquely capable of measuring the topography of water, land, and ice surfaces. The Multimode Airborne Radar Altimeter (MARA) was designed to combine a narrow transmitted pulsewidth, a high transmitted power level, and a narrow antenna beam to produce a high-precision ranging capability at the nadir of the aircraft platform and at four fixed off-nadir angles out to 12° in the multibeam mode described in this paper, or a single beam scanning between ±22° in the scanning radar altimeter mode. Data collected over water and land surfaces are presented to demonstrate the potential of MARA for topographic mapping with accuracies and precisions of value in dynamic oceanography, geodesy, geology, hydrology, biogeochemistry, biogeography, and glaciology

Keywords

geodesy; geophysical equipment; geophysical techniques; glaciology; hydrological equipment; hydrological techniques; millimetre wave imaging; millimetre wave measurement; oceanographic equipment; oceanographic techniques; radar applications; radar imaging; remote sensing; remote sensing by radar; topography (Earth); 36 GHz; EHF mm wave millimetric; MARA; Multimode Airborne Radar Altimeter; airborne; dynamics; geodesy; geophysical measurement technique; glaciology; hydrology; ice sheet; land surface; multibeam radar altimeter; off-nadir angle; radar altimetry method; radar remote sensing; sea surface ocean; topographic mapping; Airborne radar; Aircraft; Antenna measurements; Ice surface; Land surface; Radar antennas; Sea measurements; Sea surface; Space vector pulse width modulation; Transmitting antennas;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Geoscience and Remote Sensing, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0196-2892

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/36.338365

Filename

338365