The IEEE Geoscience & Remote Sensing Society Chapter in Los Angeles presents a lecture event on ionosphere and remote sensing

The Impact of the Ionosphere on Radar Remote Sensing

Prof. Franz J. Meyer, University of Alaska, Fairbanks

Wednesday, June 18, 2014, 5:30–7:30 PM

Buwalda Room/Sharp Lecture Hall, Arms Laboratory, Caltech Campus, Pasadena, California

Abstract: Synthetic Aperture Radar images from space provide an all-weather, day-night means for measuring the changing Earth.  The wavelengths of modern radar systems range from a few to a few tens of cm, and as such are subject to path delay variations induced by the ionized plasma and magnetic field between the spacecraft and Earth’s surface.  These effects, which include amplitude and phase perturbations to the radar signal, depend on the orbit, solar activity, and the state of the ionosphere on any given day. In this talk, an overview of the characteristics of the ionosphere and its impact on radar signals will motivate a presentation of anticipated noise sources for future missions, and specific approaches to mitigate them.

About the Speaker: Dr. Meyer is Associate Professor of Radar Remote Sensing at the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks. Dr. Meyer’s primary research interests are in the development of advanced SAR and interferometric SAR (InSAR) processing techniques and their application to geophysical problems.  Research activities include both technology and science-oriented projects: The primary goal of his technology-related research is to optimize how radar remote sensing data can inform geoscience applications of dynamic earth environments. In particular he is working on the development of improved InSAR time-series analysis techniques for measuring millimeter-scale surface deformation signals, such as those caused by volcanism, tectonics, or permafrost change. To improve the performance of these techniques, he recently focused on the modeling and correction of tropospheric and ionospheric error signals in spaceborne SAR data. He also has developed methods for SAR data calibration and has worked on the mitigation of radio frequency interference signatures from SAR observations. Dr. Meyer’s main science interest is the application of InSAR techniques towards a better understanding of volcanic systems in Alaska. Here, he is working on inferring magma motion from InSAR-based observations of surface deformation patterns. He also uses SAR and InSAR data to study tectonic deformation, near-shore sea ice properties, and tropospheric and ionospheric turbulence patterns. Dr. Meyer is currently holding several leadership positions in internationally recognized professional organizations. He is Chair of the IEEE Alaska Section Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society Chapter and is co-chairing the ISPRS Commission I/Working Group II on SAR and LIDAR Systems as well as the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) Study Group IC-SG3: Configuration Analysis of Earth Oriented Space Techniques. He is the author of more than 80 scientific publications, three being acknowledged as “Best Papers.” He is the winner of the IEEE GRS-S Gold Early Career Award 2011.

See the event flier for more details.