Research Physical Geography FSU Jena

	Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences Department of Geography Physical Geography Research projects

Fluvial Landform Change in the Coastal Desert of Peru (FLaCh)

Principal investigator: PD Dr. J. Baade
Research group: PD Dr. J. Baade, Prof. Dr. C. Schmullius
Start of project: 23.07.2013
Status:
Financial support: German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Grant: XTI_GEOL2458

Summary

Many geomorphological processes changing the surface of the earth operate on an event-base with strong changes occurring in very short time (events) and stable conditions prevailing most of the time. This property suggests that repeat-pass interferometry should belong to the set of methods of choice for monitoring Earth's surface morphodynamics. However, until recently, the ground resolution of satellite-based SAR systems has been to coarse to detect changes by processes operating on the micro-relief scale. The new generation of space-based high-resolution SAR systems deployed in the past 5 years (including TerraSAR-X) has improved the situation considerably. A number of publications has proofed the general applicability of this extraordinary instrument for high resolution landform and landform change detection in arid environments. However, certain issues concerning accuracy and precision of landform and landform change detection remain.

The aim of this TanDEM-X proposal is primarily to investigate the benefits of using a higher resolution reference DEM in TSX-based repeat-pass interferometric analysis of landform change using two study sites in the coastal desert of Peru as an example. The assemblage of landscape elements and the morphodynamics in the hyper-arid study regions is typical for the coastal desert along the western slopes of the Andes and to a large extent representative for other arid areas on Earth. It is anticipated that by using higher resolution reference DEMs interferometric analysis of previously acquired TSX HS imagery can be refined and precision and accuracy of landform and landform change analysis increased. By demonstrating the anticipated benefits, this proposal contributes to the diffusion of the awareness about SAR technology into new disciplines (e.g., dryland geomorphology) and new applications (e.g., landform and erosion mapping). This is of general interest because in many arid regions water supply and hydro-power generation is based on reservoirs prone to siltation and storage loss due to accelerated erosion in the catchment areas. Against this background stimulation of commercial erosion mapping applications for the vast arid regions of our planet can be foreseen within the framework of sustainable land and water management schemes.

This project is a follow-up project of our previous TerraSAR-X project MOMO - Monitoring El Nino induced morphodynamics in the coastal desert of Southern Peru

Related Publications

Baade, J. & C. Schmullius (accepted): Uncertainties of a TanDEM-X derived Digital Surface Model - A Case Study from the Roda Catchment, Germany. - submitted to IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS) 2014, 4 pp.
Baade, J. & C. Schmullius (2013): Detection of fluvial landform change in the coastal desert of Peru - A reanalysis. - Proceedings 5. TerraSAR-X / 4. TanDEM-X Science Team Meeting. 5 pp. online available at: (external link)(last modified/Stand: 2013-09-23).
BAADE, J. & C. SCHMULLIUS (2011): Interannual interferometric change detection in the coastal desert of Peru. - 4. TerraSAR-X Science Team Meeting, Proceedings. 8 pp. online available at: http://sss.terrasar-x.dlr.de/papers_sci_meet_4/poster/GEO0258_baade.pdf (last modified/Stand: 2011-05-13).
BAADE, J. & C. SCHMULLIUS (2010b): High-resolution mapping of fluvial landform change in arid environments using TerraSAR-X images. In: Proceedings of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), 2010-07-26 - 2010-07-30, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, pp. 2159-2162. (Link)
BAADE, J. & C. SCHMULLIUS (2010a): Interferometric micro-relief sensing with TerraSAR-X - First results. - IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 48, 2: 965-970 [doi:10.1109/TGRS.2009.2036720, available online 2009-12-15] (Link)

Homepage J. Baade

Research projects

Fluvial Landform Change in the Coastal Desert of Peru (FLaCh)