Alaska Satellite Facility
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Coastlines

Coastlines

SAR data is instrumental in monitoring coastal erosion due to its ability to capture large-scale changes over time.

By comparing SAR images acquired at different periods, experts can detect shifts in shoreline position and track the rate of erosion. This data aids in assessing vulnerability and formulating strategies for coastal protection. SAR’s consistent imaging, regardless of weather or light conditions, provides reliable insights into erosion patterns and impacts. In essence, SAR enables timely and accurate assessment of coastal dynamics, facilitating effective management and mitigation of erosion-related challenges.

Oil Spill

Location: Red Sea
Date(s): October 22, 2019
Spacecraft/Agency: Sentinel-1 / European Space Agency (ESA).
Credit: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2019, processed by ESA; courtesy R. Gens.

This Sentinel-1 RGB decomposition image shows an oil spill in the Red Sea near the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah. The spilled oil makes the ocean surface smoother than the surrounding water and, therefore, is displayed as darker blue pixels compared to the regular blue pixels of the decomposition.

Red Sea location map

The Bird's Foot Delta

Location: Mississippi River 
Date(s): 2018
Spacecraft/Agency:  Sentinel-1 / European Space Agency (ESA).
Credit: Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2018; courtesy R. Gens.

This dual-polarization RGB decomposition Sentinel-1B SAR image shows the dendritic (tree-like) structure of the Plaquemines-Balize Delta on the Mississippi River, formed as a result of sediment deposition from the soil-laden waters of America’s largest river.
Mississippi River Location Map
Dual-polarization RGB decomposition Sentinel-1B SAR image shows the dendritic (tree-like) structure of the Plaquemines-Balize Delta on the Mississippi River

Hurricane

Location: Mississippi River 
Date(s): 2021
Spacecraft/Agency:  Sentinel-1 / European Space Agency (ESA).
Credit: Copernicus Sentinel data 2021.

Ida, a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane, struck the Louisiana coast on August 29, 2021. It was the second-most damaging and intense hurricane to make landfall in the state’s history. This Sentinel-1 image shows the outer edges of the storm as it approached the Bird’s Foot Delta at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Wind and currents generated by the storm disturbed the ocean surface. This affected signal backscatter and resulted in the myriad patterns visible in the waters south of the Delta.
Location map of the Mississippi River, 2021
The outer edges of hurricane Ida as it approached the Bird’s Foot Delta at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

Alluvial Plain

Location: Mississippi River
Date(s): 2004
Spacecraft/Agency: RADARSAT-1 / Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Credit: © CSA 2004.

This Mississippi River Delta image was created by combining four RADARSAT-1 standard beam frames. The bird’s foot shape of the alluvial plain is caused by the deposition of large sediment loads into deep water. Lake Pontchartrain is the large body of water at the top of the image, and New Orleans is located just south of the lake.

Location Map of the Mississippi River, 2004
The bird’s foot shape of the Mississippi River Delta alluvial plain is caused by the deposition of large sediment loads into deep water.

Vibrant Vegetation

Location: Bird’s Foot Delta, Mississippi River
Date(s): 2009
Spacecraft/Agency: ALOS / Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Credit: © JAXA 2009.

In this Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS) AVNIR-2 sensor image of the Mississippi Delta, the vibrant red colors highlight areas of vegetation and contrast dramatically with the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Although the Mississippi waterway has now been channelized, the dendritic structure of the Delta exemplifies the process of sediment deposition.

Location map of the Mississippi delta 2009
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