The Permafrost Dynamics Observatory (PDO)

Kevin M Schaefer, National Snow and Ice Data Center, kevin.schaefer@nsidc.org (Presenter)
Albert Chen, JPL, albert.c.chen@jpl.nasa.gov
Jingyi Chen, University of Texas, jingyi.ann.chen@utexas.edu
Richard Chen, University of Southern California, chenrh@usc.edu
Kazem Dogaheh, University of Southern California, bakiando@usc.edu
Elchin Jafarov, Los Alamos National Laboratory, elchin@lanl.gov
Lin Liu, University of Hong Kong, liulin@cuhk.edu.hk
Roger Michaelides, Stanford University, rmich@stanford.edu
Mahta Moghaddam, University of Southern California, mahta@usc.edu
Andrew Parsekian, University Of Wyoming, aparseki@uwyo.edu
Alireza Tabatabaeenejad, University of Southern California, alirezat@usc.edu
Jeffery Thompson, University of Colorado, jeffery.a.thompson@colorado.edu
Howard Zebker, Stanford University, zebker@stanford.edu

The Permafrost Dynamics Observatory (PDO) combines backscatter measurements of soil moisture with surface deformation measurements using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). The Remotely Sensed Active Layer Thickness (ReSALT) product uses the L-band InSAR to measure seasonal ground subsidence and active layer thickness. Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface (AirMOSS) uses p-band backscatter to measure soil moisture. Together, they form a powerful tool to study permafrost dynamics. We show how to use radar to study processes that dominate the permafrost landscape: active layer development, thermokarst, hydrology, and fire. We present examples of products in Alaska to highlight the untapped potential of the combined InSAR and backscatter technique to understand permafrost dynamics, with a strong emphasis on the underlying processes that drive change.

Presentation: ASTM4_Poster_Schaefer_18_74.pdf (14115k)

Associated Project(s): 

• Schaefer-03
• Schaefer-04
• Schaefer-05
• Schaefer-06
• Tabatabaeenejad-01

Poster Location ID: 18

Session Assigned: Permafrost and Hydrology