Quality of TOPSAR topographic data for volcanology studies at Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii: An assessment using airborne lidar data

We use airborne lidar data for the summit area of Kilauea Caldera, Hawaii, to explore the utility of topographic data collected by the TOPSAR airborne interferometric radar for volcanology studies. The lidar data are processed to a spatial resolution of 1 m/pixel, compared to TOPSAR with a spatial resolution of 5 m. Over a variety of fresh volcanic surfaces (pahoehoe and aa lava flows, ash falls and fluvial fans), TOPSAR data are shown to have a typical vertical offset compared to the lidar data of no more than ∼2–3 m. Larger differences between the two data sets and TOPSAR data drop-outs are found to be concentrated around steep scarps such as the walls of pit craters and ground cracks associated with the Southwest Rift Zone. A comparison of these two data sets is used to explore the utility of TOPSAR to interpret the topography of volcanic features close to the spatial resolution of TOPSAR, such as spatter ramparts, fractures, a perched lava flow, and eroded ash deposits. Comparison of the TOPSAR elevation and the lidar first-return minus the return from the ground surface (the so-called “bald Earth” data) for vegetated areas reveals TOPSAR penetration into the tree canopy is typically at least 10% and no more than ∼50%, although a wide range of penetration values from 0% to 90% has been identified. Our results are significant because they show that TOPSAR data for volcanoes can reliably be used to measure regional slopes and the thickness of lava flows, and have value for the validation of coarser spatial resolution digital elevation data (such as SRTM) in areas where lidar data have not been collected.