High resolution three-dimensional imaging of a snowpack from ground-based sar data acquired at X and Ku Band

In this paper we present experimental results relative to the vertical structure of a 60 cm snow-pack as sensed with X- and Ku-Band microwaves. The available data are from a Ground Based (GB) SAR campaign carried out by the University of Rennes I in December 2010 at Col de Porte, in the French Alps, in collaboration with Meteo-France. The data have been acquired by moving a VNA along two orthogonal directions, so as to obtain a two dimensional synthetic array. This allowed to focus the signal in the three dimensional space, thus providing a direct imaging of the vertical structure of the snow-pack at a resolution of few centimeters. Results revealed the presence of strong backscattering contributions from beneath the snow layer, that appear to be linked to the presence of an ice layer.