Interferometric Microrelief Sensing With TerraSAR-X—First Results

The meter-scale ground resolution of TerraSAR-X spotlight images promises for the first time the 3-D detection of landforms and landform changes on the microrelief scale from a satellite-based remote sensing system. Using repeat-pass pairs of high-resolution spotlight images, this paper analyzes the spatial variation of coherence on the micro- and mesorelief scale and demonstrates the high potential as well as some limitations of this approach for digital elevation model generation, geomorphological mapping, and geomorphic-change detection in contrasting landscapes of the coastal desert of southern Peru.