Multispectral remote observations of hydrologic features on the North Slope of Alaska

Visible and near-infrared Landsat satellite imagery and active and passive aircraft microwave data are used to analyze some hydrologic features in Arctic Alaska. Lake studies using passive microwave imagery reveal that an increase in the microwave brightness temperature correlates with an increase in ice thickness. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery allows determination of lakes that are frozen to the bottom under certain conditions. Landsat imagery of lakes can be used to study summer ice cover dissipation, an indicator of lake depth. River channel morphometry and morphology studies are accomplished using SAR data with good (25 m) resolution. Landsat imagery is shown to be useful for analyzing interannual variations in the extent of river icings (aufeis). Snow depth variations are shown to be potentially discernable using passive microwave data. Finally, the present and potential applications of these remote sensing studies are discussed; these data are useful for locating potable water sources, planning construction in good locations, and for analyzing interannual climate fluctuations.