%APitcher, Lincoln [Department of Geography University of California Los Angeles CA USA]%APitcher, Lincoln [Department of GeographyUniversity of California Los Angeles CA USA]%APavelsky, Tamlin [Department of Geological Sciences University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA]%APavelsky, Tamlin [Department of Geological SciencesUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA]%ASmith, Laurence [Department of Geography University of California Los Angeles CA USA]%ASmith, Laurence [Department of GeographyUniversity of California Los Angeles CA USA]%AMoller, Delwyn [Remote Sensing Solutions Monrovia CA USA]%AMoller, Delwyn [Remote Sensing Solutions Monrovia CA USA]%AAltenau, Elizabeth [Department of Geological Sciences University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA]%AAltenau, Elizabeth [Department of Geological SciencesUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA]%AAllen, George [Department of Geological SciencesUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA]%AAllen, George [Department of Geological Sciences University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA]%ALion, Christine [Department of Geological SciencesUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA]%ALion, Christine [Department of Geological Sciences University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill NC USA]%AButman, David [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Washington Seattle WA USA]%AButman, David [Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Washington Seattle WA USA]%ACooley, Sarah [Institute at Brown for Environment and Society Brown University Providence RI USA]%ACooley, Sarah [Institute at Brown for Environment and SocietyBrown University Providence RI USA]%AFayne, Jessica [Department of Geography University of California Los Angeles CA USA]%AFayne, Jessica [Department of GeographyUniversity of California Los Angeles CA USA]%ABertram, Mark [Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service Fairbanks AK USA]%ABertram, Mark [Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service Fairbanks AK USA]%BJournal Name: Water Resources Research; Journal Volume: 55; Journal Issue: 2; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2023-09-10 13:56:05 %D2019%IDOI PREFIX: 10.1029 %JJournal Name: Water Resources Research; Journal Volume: 55; Journal Issue: 2; Related Information: CHORUS Timestamp: 2023-09-10 13:56:05 %K %MOSTI ID: 10085079 %PMedium: X %TAirSWOT InSAR Mapping of Surface Water Elevations and Hydraulic Gradients Across the Yukon Flats Basin, Alaska %XAbstract

AirSWOT, an experimental airborne Ka‐band interferometric synthetic aperture radar, was developed for hydrologic research and validation of the forthcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission (to be launched in 2021). AirSWOT and SWOT aim to improve understanding of surface water processes by mapping water surface elevation (WSE) and water surface slope (WSS) in rivers, lakes, and wetlands. However, the utility of AirSWOT for these purposes remains largely unexamined. We present the first investigation of AirSWOT WSE and WSS surveys over complex, low‐relief, wetland‐river hydrologic environments, including (1) a field‐validated assessment of AirSWOT WSE and WSS precisions for lakes and rivers in the Yukon Flats Basin, an Arctic‐Boreal wetland complex in eastern interior Alaska; (2) improved scientific understanding of surface water flow gradients and the influence of subsurface permafrost; and (3) recommendations for improving AirSWOT precisions in future scientific and SWOT validation campaigns. AirSWOT quantifies WSE with an RMSE of 8 and 15 cm in 1 and 0.0625 km2river reaches, respectively, and 21 cm in lakes. This indicates good utility for studying hydrologic flux, WSS, geomorphic processes, and coupled surface/subsurface hydrology in permafrost environments. This also suggests that AirSWOT supplies sufficient precision for validating SWOT WSE and WSS over rivers, but not lakes. However, improvements in sensor calibration and flight experiment design may improve precisions in future deployments as may modifications to data processing. We conclude that AirSWOT is a useful tool for bridging the gap between field observations and forthcoming global SWOT satellite products.

%0Journal Article