Monitoring snow depth from Sentinel-1 interferometry: Retrieving snow depth values from InSAR signal
2025
Riska, Martin
Snow depth is a critical parameter for estimating potential water resources and predicting natural hazardssuch as avalanches. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) as an active microwave remotesensing technique offers a promising method for snow depth estimation, particularly in high altitude andremote regions where conventional measurement techniques are limited. To test this method, case studiesin Abisko and Gråberget-Hotagsfjällen were selected to evaluate the accuracy of snow depth estimation.The final results were compared with ground truth data from snow stations, and a detailed analysis of thefindings is presented. For the dry snow, the results show that snow depth can be directly observed andestimated using InSAR. However, the accuracy and reliability are strongly influenced by topographicfactors and meteorological conditions. Furthermore, the 6- and 12-day revisit cycles of the Sentinel-1satellite limit surface observation, and careful dataset selection is needed. In the case of wet snow, snowdepth were possible to retrieve but with significant limitations and errors due to the sensitivity to waterwithin the snowpack. The findings indicate that InSAR is suitable for snow depth estimation only inspecific locations and under specific conditions. To improve accuracy and its application, the integrationof additional data sources would be needed.
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