Characterizing Levees Using Polarimetric and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery

Dabbiru, L., Aanstoos, J.V., Hasan, K., Mahrooghy, M., Nobrega, R. A. A., Gokaraju, B., & Younan, N. H. (2011). Characterizing Levees Using Polarimetric and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery. AGU Fall Meeting 2011. San Francisco, CA, USA.

Monitoring the physical condition of levees is vital in order to prevent flooding due to levee failure. The dynamics of subsurface water events can cause damage on levee structures which could lead to slough slides, sand boils or through seepage. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology, due to its high spatial resolution and soil penetration capability, is a good choice to identify such problem areas so that they can be treated to avoid possible catastrophic failure. The radar polarimetric and interferometric data is capable of identifying variations in soil properties in areas which might cause levee failure.