Optimal InSAR Conditions for Monitoring Creek Changes in Tidal Flats

Monitoring of tidal creeks is important for safety in tidal flats and for understanding coastal changes due to sedimentation and erosion. The tidal creek is a small stream developed on tidal flats and requires very precise Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to detect it. Interferometric SAR (InSAR) technique was usually applied for generating DEM over inland regions. In tidal flat regions, low backscattering due to flatness and remnant water of the tidal flat prevents from generating high precision DEM. In this study, optimum InSAR baseline condition was investigated to generate such a precise DEM in the tidal flat. The long-baseline TanDEM-X and airborne InSAR system were found to be useful, and the tidal creek information (width and depth) was successfully extracted from the DEM that was generated from optimal baseline InSAR systems.