HR: 10:35h
AN: H22C-02    [Abstracts]
TI: ICESat Measurements of Rivers and Lakes
AU: * Schutz, B E
EM: schutz@csr.utexas.edu
AF: Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin 1 University Station R1000, Austin, TX 78712-0693 United States
AU: Urban, T
EM: urban@csr.utexas.edu
AF: Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin 1 University Station R1000, Austin, TX 78712-0693 United States
AB: Although ICESat was designed to measure ice, land and atmosphere characteristics, the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) aboard ICESat has gathered valuable range data over oceans, lakes, and rivers. For example, the path of the laser spot along the ground intersects the confluence of the Amazon and Tapajos rivers in Brazil, and follows Rio Tapajos for about 150 km upstream. The laser spot measurements repeat with a 170 m separation at 40 Hz, and have an approximate 70 m diameter. The noise level (Root-Mean-Square) of the 40-Hz Rio Tapajos elevations is about 3 cm, after accounting for downhill slope. Further examples from GLAS are shown for elevations over lakes and other rivers having a north-south orientation (e.g, Mississippi). ICESat demonstrates the potential for gathering a globally consistent set of hydrological elevation measurements with known accuracies.
DE: 1894 Instruments and techniques
DE: 1294 Instruments and techniques
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting