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Radar Remote Sensing in Alaska

Space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging has proved to be a valuable research tool in polar regions because of its ability to penetrate cloud cover, acquire imagery during the day or night, and acquire imagery at a high temporal resolution. SAR imagery has been used extensively to monitor sea ice, lake ice, glaciers, snow cover, and water resources. Initially, we were interested in monitoring lake ice melting processes in the large lakes located within the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (TLSA) during the spring and summer 2006. However, during data processing we discovered features in the Radarsat-1 imagery indicative of perturbations to the snow cover as a result of winter seismic surveys. Here, we present preliminary findings on detection of seismic surveys conducted in the TLSA during April and May 2006 while the tundra was still snow covered. We show that the Radarsat-1 imagery can be used to infer features associated with winter seismic surveys such as the seismic survey grid profile, camp-move trails, the location of active campsites and former campsite footprints, and in one instance, the vehicles enroute. Thus, the SAR imagery could be used to monitor winter seismic surveys providing a valuable tool to land and resource managers as petroleum-based exploration efforts increase in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). During the spring of 2006, Radarsat-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery was acquired on a continual basis for the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area (TLSA), in the northeast portion of the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska (NPR-A) in order to monitor lake ice melting processes. During data processing, it was discovered that the Radarsat-1 imagery detected features associated with winter seismic survey activity. Focused analysis of the image time series revealed various aspects of the exploration process such as the grid profile associated with the seismic line surveys as well as trails and campsites associated with the mobile survey crews. Due to the high temporal resolution of the dataset it was possible to track the progress of activities over a one month period. Spaceborne SAR imagery can provide information on the location of winter seismic activity and could be used as a monitoring tool for land and resource managers as increased petroleum-based activity occurs in the TLSA and NPR-A.

Principal Investigator: Benjamin Jones (bjones@usgs.gov, 907 786 7033)