UAVSAR Water Level Change Maps for Atchafalaya Basin

Five georeferenced maps detail cumulative water level changes at 30-minute intervals over 150 minutes on October 16, 2016, in the Atchafalaya Basin, Louisiana. The Level 3 data products were generated by NASA's ORNL_CLOUD team using UAVSAR L-band radar and the SBAS InSAR algorithm within the GIAnT toolbox. These 6-meter resolution maps were created to evaluate and compare hydrodynamic models of the Mississippi River Delta floodplain.

Use Cases

• Validating hydrodynamic model outputs against observed 30-minute interval water level changes.
• Analyzing flood wave propagation and water movement dynamics within a complex wetland basin.
• Calibrating remote sensing algorithms for InSAR-based water surface elevation measurement.

Strengths

• Provides high-temporal-resolution data with five measurements over a 150-minute period.
• Uses advanced L-band UAVSAR technology and the SBAS InSAR algorithm for precise water level change detection.
• Offers high spatial detail with a consistent 6-meter resolution across all georeferenced maps.

Limitations

• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between sources (2016-10-16 and 2026-03-12), creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Key technical details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable across all platforms.
• Data is limited to a single day and specific location, restricting temporal and geographic generalizability.

Provenance

Source

NASA ORNL_CLOUD, using the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) flown on a Gulfstream-III aircraft.

Collection Method

Water surface elevations were measured on six flights; cumulative change maps were generated using the InSAR time series Small Baseline Subsets (SBAS) algorithm in the GIAnT toolbox.

Time Range

2016-10-16

Freshness

2026-03-12 22:33:20.201139

Geography

Atchafalaya Basin, Southern Louisiana, USA, within the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) floodplain.