Radar Imaging and Its Application to Archaeology

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Radar Imaging and Its Application to Archaeology

• L Kemp

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• This presentation will examine the utility of
  remote sensing to the distribution of
  archaeological sites within a region. It will do
  this by evaluating the following
• A review of testing and evaluation of Airborne
• Synthetic Aperture Radar to image geologic
  features and structures in arid and semi-arid
  environments
• The potential of AirSAR to test for
  archaeological features within arid and semi-arid
  regions

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• NASA shuttle Imaging Radar mission (SIR-A,
  SIR-B, and SIR-C) demonstrates the capability of
  radar to image subsurface geologic formations up
  to 2 m in arid and semi-arid environments.

SIR-C image of the Nile River, Sudan. SIR-C
Color Composite (Jensen)
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The Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AIRSAR)
was designed, built, and is managed by the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). AIRSAR is a
side-looking radar instrument and can collect
fully polarimetric data (POLSAR) at three radar
wavelengths C-band (0.057 m), L-band (0.25 m),
and P-band (0.68 m). AIRSAR serves as a NASAs
research vehicle for demonstrating new radar
technology and data acquisition for the
development of radar processing  techniques and
applications. As part of NASAs Earth Science
Enterprise, AIRSAR first flew in 1988 and
continues to conduct at least one flight campaign
each year, either in the United States or on an
international mission. (http//airsar.jpl.nasa.gov
.)
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• The Importance of SAR Wavelength in Penetrating
  Blow Sand in Northern Arizona in Remote Sensing
  of the Environment 69(1999) Gerald G. Schaber and
  Carol S. Breed
• SAR studies in the Yuma Desert, Arizona Sand
  Penetration, Geology, and the Detection of
  Military Ordnance Debris in Remote Sensing of
  the Environment 67(1999) Gerald Schaber

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• These articles focus on
• The use of C-, L-, and P-bands to discriminate
  geologic features
• Data collection in the four transmit-receive
  polarization modes (HH, VV, HV, VH)

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Topographic map of Ward Terrace study area with
AirSAR and ERS footprints

• The sand streak is 7 km long, and .5 km wide
  with a max. depth of 2.5 m. it extends northeast
  across the terrace where it supplies sand to a
  dune at the base of the Moenkopi Plateau. Based
  upon laboratory analysis the sand streak consists
  of well sorted and unimodal quartz sand with an
  overall soil moisture of 2.2.

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ERS-1 image of Ward Terrace taken 22 June 1992,
Band-C, VV
U-2 photograph of Ward Terrace at 20,000 meters
altitude
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Band-C, HH
Band-C, HV
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Band-L, HH
Band-L, HV
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Band-P, HH
Band-P,HV
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Geologic Feature Recognition Level (best to
worst left to right) Sand Streak CHH,
CHV, LHH(VV), LHV, penetrated at
P-band Dendritic channels on CHH, CHV, LHH(VV),
PHH NE side of terrace (VV), LHV, PHV Dendritic
channels of PHV, LHV, LHH(VV), both side of sand
streak PHH(VV), CHV, CHH(VV) Flat, lag
covered PHV, PHH(VV), LHV, terrace
surface LHH(VV), CHV, CHH(VV)
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Area of study- Yuma, Arizona
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Band C (HH)
Band C (HV)
Band L (HH)
Band P (HH)
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Band L (HV)
Image of ordnance in target circle.
Band P (HV)
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Geologic Feature, Target Recognition Level (best
to and Cultural Features worst left to
right) Sand-mantled alluvium PHH, CHH, LHH, LHV,
PHV Scald surfaces PHH, LHH, CHH, CHV,
LHV, PHV Coarse river gravels CHH, CHV,
PHH, LHH, LHV, PHV Target areas PHV,
LHV, PHH, LHH, CHV, CHH Access roads CHH,
CHV, PHH, PHV, LHV, LHH Fence lines PHV,
PHH
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• The history of archaeological method is of a
  discipline which has used sophisticated
  technologies in the search for and understanding
  of archaeological sites.

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Application of AirSAR Technology to Archaeology

• The detection of archaeological sites using
  AirSAR
• The past use of AirSAR in archaeology
• Comer and Bloom Proposal to use AirSAR to
  identify archaeological sites and features
• Fort Bliss as a potential AirSAR study area for
  archaeological testing

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Backscatter image on the right allowed
identification of subterranean chamber in the
city of Petra, Jordan. (Comer)
Converging ancient trade routes represented by
purple lines to the city of Ubar, Saudia Arabia.
(Holcomb)
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Image is of AirSAR flight over San Clemente
Island. Band L 6 km swath
One of the GIS themes for San Clemente Island
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Fort Bliss as a potential AirSAR study site for
archaeological testing
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Advantages of Fort Bliss as a AirSAR Study Area

• Fort Bliss is located in an arid to semi-arid
  environment
• Since the mid 1970s, Fort Bliss has been engaged
  in archaeological management of its cultural
  resources it has identified approx 10,000
  archaeological sites of a potential 100,000
  sites.

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Conclusions

• The articles demonstrate the utility of AirSAR as
  a tool for geologic testing and mapping in
  sand-blanketed desert environments
• The Yuma Desert study demonstrates the it can be
  used a tool for detection of military ordnance
  within this same environment
• The application of AirSAR has potential as a tool
  for archaeologist to detect and locate features
  associated with human activities within arid and
  semi-arid areas