Abstract
The German satellite TerraSAR-X, scheduled for launch in late 2006, will permit high-resolution ocean current measurements by along-track interferometric SAR (along-track InSAR) in various experimental modes of operation, using different sections of its X-band SAR antenna array with a total length of 4.8 m as individual receive antennas. Depending on antenna and receive-chain settings, effective InSAR time lags of about 0.17 to 0.29 ms can be realized in combination with different noise levels, single-look resolutions, swath widths, and incidence angles. We give an overview of the characteristics of the possible InSAR modes and evaluate their suitability for current measurements on the basis of simulated data products. Our results indicate that the quality of interferometric stripmap data from TerraSAR-X will be clearly superior to the quality of the existing data acquired over the Dutch coast during the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission; accurate current retrievals can be expected at effective spatial resolutions on the order of 500 m. However, in modes using a multiplexed single receive chain, the effective swath width of stripmap data will be limited to only 15 km, while dual receive-chain operation offers a swath width of 30 km for stripmap data and promises a reasonable data quality even for ScanSAR data with a maximum swath width of 100 km. Finally, we consider fundamental relations between along-track baseline, instrument noise, and resulting InSAR phase noise to discuss the potential for current measuring performance improvements of TerraSAR-X follow-on satellites.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 21-35 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2007 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Along-track interferometry (ATI)
- Current measurements
- Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)
- TerraSAR-X
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Computers in Earth Sciences
- Geochemistry and Petrology
- Geophysics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Cite this
Theoretical evaluation of several possible along-track InSAR modes of TerraSAR-X for ocean current measurements. / Romeiser, Roland; Runge, Hartmut.
In: IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 45, No. 1, 01.2007, p. 21-35.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Theoretical evaluation of several possible along-track InSAR modes of TerraSAR-X for ocean current measurements
AU - Romeiser, Roland
AU - Runge, Hartmut
PY - 2007/1
Y1 - 2007/1
N2 - The German satellite TerraSAR-X, scheduled for launch in late 2006, will permit high-resolution ocean current measurements by along-track interferometric SAR (along-track InSAR) in various experimental modes of operation, using different sections of its X-band SAR antenna array with a total length of 4.8 m as individual receive antennas. Depending on antenna and receive-chain settings, effective InSAR time lags of about 0.17 to 0.29 ms can be realized in combination with different noise levels, single-look resolutions, swath widths, and incidence angles. We give an overview of the characteristics of the possible InSAR modes and evaluate their suitability for current measurements on the basis of simulated data products. Our results indicate that the quality of interferometric stripmap data from TerraSAR-X will be clearly superior to the quality of the existing data acquired over the Dutch coast during the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission; accurate current retrievals can be expected at effective spatial resolutions on the order of 500 m. However, in modes using a multiplexed single receive chain, the effective swath width of stripmap data will be limited to only 15 km, while dual receive-chain operation offers a swath width of 30 km for stripmap data and promises a reasonable data quality even for ScanSAR data with a maximum swath width of 100 km. Finally, we consider fundamental relations between along-track baseline, instrument noise, and resulting InSAR phase noise to discuss the potential for current measuring performance improvements of TerraSAR-X follow-on satellites.
AB - The German satellite TerraSAR-X, scheduled for launch in late 2006, will permit high-resolution ocean current measurements by along-track interferometric SAR (along-track InSAR) in various experimental modes of operation, using different sections of its X-band SAR antenna array with a total length of 4.8 m as individual receive antennas. Depending on antenna and receive-chain settings, effective InSAR time lags of about 0.17 to 0.29 ms can be realized in combination with different noise levels, single-look resolutions, swath widths, and incidence angles. We give an overview of the characteristics of the possible InSAR modes and evaluate their suitability for current measurements on the basis of simulated data products. Our results indicate that the quality of interferometric stripmap data from TerraSAR-X will be clearly superior to the quality of the existing data acquired over the Dutch coast during the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission; accurate current retrievals can be expected at effective spatial resolutions on the order of 500 m. However, in modes using a multiplexed single receive chain, the effective swath width of stripmap data will be limited to only 15 km, while dual receive-chain operation offers a swath width of 30 km for stripmap data and promises a reasonable data quality even for ScanSAR data with a maximum swath width of 100 km. Finally, we consider fundamental relations between along-track baseline, instrument noise, and resulting InSAR phase noise to discuss the potential for current measuring performance improvements of TerraSAR-X follow-on satellites.
KW - Along-track interferometry (ATI)
KW - Current measurements
KW - Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)
KW - TerraSAR-X
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33846186738&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33846186738&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/TGRS.2006.885405
DO - 10.1109/TGRS.2006.885405
M3 - Article
VL - 45
SP - 21
EP - 35
JO - IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
JF - IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
SN - 0196-2892
IS - 1
ER -