Tandem-L: A Mission Proposal for MonitoringDynamic Earth Processes

A. Moreira, G. Krieger, M. Younis, I. Hajnsek , K. Papathanassiou, M. Eineder, P. Dekker, F. De Zan

German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Ocean Currents*

Soil Moisture*

Sea Ice Extent*

Forest Biomasse Change*

Deforestation, Degradation, Fires* (REDD)

Glacier & Ice Cap Dynamics*

Volcanic ActivitiesEarthquakes

Permafrost*

Land Slides

Flooding

Biodiversity

Dynamic Processes on the Earth Surface

*) Essential ClimateVariables

The terrestrial carbon is the greatest unknown in the carbon cycle

Carbon Balance and Vegetation

Fossil fuels

Ocean sink

Unknown terrestrial

sink

Carbon accumulation in the atmosphere

3.2 ± 0.1

6.4 ± 0.4

Land use change

1.6 ± 1.1

2.2 ± 0.4

2.6 ± 1.7Numbers in Billions of Tons – Carbon / Year (IPCC)

=ΣSi

nkSo

urce

s

Forest and CarbonBiomass and the spatial distribution of carbon

(50% of the biomass is Carbon)

Amazon basin

… the estimation ranges from 39 to 93 GtC

Global biomass distribution Global biomass distribution and its dynamic are widely and its dynamic are widely unknown!unknown!

3-D Structure ModePolarimetric SAR Polarimetric SAR

InterferometryInterferometry((PolPol--InSARInSAR))

Forest height and BiomassForest height and Biomass

Polarimetric BackscatteringPolarimetric Backscattering

33--D Forest StructureD Forest Structure

TomographyTomography

Forest Height (in Situ) [m]

Pol

Pol -- I

nSA

R F

ores

t Hei

ght [

m]

InSA

R F

ores

t Hei

ght [

m]

Forest Height Estimation (3D Structure Mode)

Elevation Model

Traunstein Test Site

2003 Oct.

50

40

30

20

10

0m

Forest type Temperate Topography Moderate slopesHeight 25 ~ 35mSpecies N. Spruce, E. Beech, White Fir

Biomass 40 ~ 450 t/ha

Pol-InSAR Forest HeightHV Amplitude Image

2008 June

Traunstein Test Site

2003 Oct.

50

40

30

20

10

0m

Biomass Estimation from Height + Structure

CombinationCombinationof Multipleof Multiple

SingleSingle--PassPassInterferogramsInterferograms

pass 2

)z(f

Profile Decomposition (Series Expansion)

Example (Testsite Bayerischer Wald)

pass 1

VU 10 > Autor NameVU 10 > Autor Name

Structure - Biomass Allometry

Ebersberger Forst Bürgerwald TraunsteinNationalpark Bayrischer Wald

aa11 aa22 aa33

Three Legendre polynomials explain the 92% of the total biomass !!!

= =

=H

0i

3

1jjj Pa11.3B

Ocean Currents*

Soil Moisture*

Sea Ice Extent*

Forest Biomasse Change*

Deforestation, Degradation, Fires* (REDD)

Glacier & Ice Cap Dynamics*

Volcanic ActivitiesEarthquakes

Permafrost*

Land Slides

Flooding

Biodiversity

Dynamic Processes on the Earth Surface

*) Essential ClimateVariables

EarthquakesEarthquakes

systematic multi-temporal acquisitions (image stacks)

Deformation Mode

λ/2 ≈ 12 cm

VolcanoesVolcanoes

SubsidenceSubsidence Land & Sea IceLand & Sea Ice

measurement of deformations of mm – cm

CryosphereCryosphere: : IceIce Motion and Motion and TopographyTopography of of GlaciersGlaciers

ICESAT

CryoSAT-2

15 km track-distance at equator

15 km x 250 mspatial resolution

TanDEM-X

GRACE

> 200 kmspatial resolution

1 year for global coverage

Tandem-L

3 – 10 m resolutionweekly coverage

Tandem-L provides unique &complementary information:

• 3D Ice flow• Ice Structure• DEM• weekly coverage, high resolution Courtesy: Ian Joughin

0

10

20

30

40

50

[vol.%]

SMOS SMAP

Tandem-L provides unique &complementary information:

• soil moisture• water level changes• river & ocean currents• weekly coverage & high resolution

35 km resolution 10-40 km resolution

HydrosphereHydrosphere: : SoilSoil MoistureMoisture

Tandem-L

3 – 10 m resolutionweekly coverage

Mission Concept

ReflectorReflector withwith Analog Analog BeamformingBeamformingPlanarPlanar Array Array withwith Digital Digital BeamformingBeamforming

…at start of DLR/JPL collaborationRadar System Concepts

digital feeddigital feedarray witharray with

T/R modulesT/R modules

Digital Beamforming with Reflector Antennas

digital feeddigital feedarray witharray with

T/R modulesT/R modules

Digital Beamforming with Reflector Antennas

Digital Beamforming with Reflector Antennas

yearly20 - 50 mDigital Terrain and surface modelGlobal

weeklyOcean Currents

seasonalIce structure Change

seasonalSnow water equivalent

on demand

Water level change

weeklySoil moisture

weekly

50 - 500 m

Glacier flow

Cryo- &Hydrosphere

Deformation

Landslides

Volcanoesweekly5 - 100 m

Plate tectonics

Geo-/Lithosphere

Vertical forest structure

Above ground biomass16 days -seasonal

20 - 50 m

Forest height

Biosphere

RevisitResolutionTandem-L Science Products

TandemTandem--L: A proposal for a radar mission for L: A proposal for a radar mission for environmental and climate change researchenvironmental and climate change research

Dynamic Earth Monitoring and Climate Change