Snow monitoring using interferometric TOPSAR data

We have investigated the usability of simultaneous interferometric C- and L-band SAR data to retrieve the snow layer volume during the snow melt. The wetness in the snow layer causes scattering to be mainly due to the snow-air interface and, therefore, makes it possible to use simultaneous interferometric SAR and DEM to estimate the depth of the snow layer. Our results show that (1) most of the areas covered by wet snow can be identified from the SAR images and (2) the use differential interferometry gives a fair estimate to the snow layer depth. As a result we have produced a map showing the areal extent and depth of the snow layer on the Emerald lake test site