Performance of Swesarr's Multi-Frequency Dual-Polarimetry Synthetic Aperture Radar During Nasa'S Snowex Airborne Campaign

A tri-frequency microwave synthetic aperture radar (SAR), designed for the estimation of snow water equivalent (SWE), was recently developed as part of the SWESARR (Snow Water Equivalent Synthetic Aperture Radar and Radiometer) instrument. The SAR operates at 9.65 GHz, 13.6 GHz, and 17.25 GHz, and at two polarizations (VV, VH), with a nominal bandwidth of 140 MHz. The SAR was first flight tested in December 2018 and later, along with SWESARR's radiometer, participated in the SnowEx science flight campaign in the fall 2019. During these flights, the SAR collected comprehensive data sets of a variety of terrains, including calibration sites where several trihedral corner reflectors had been deployed. Analysis of these data sets indicated the radar performed according to the design specifications.