Envisat multi-polarized ASAR data for flood mapping

During the August 2002 Elbe river flood, different satellite sensor data were acquired, and especially Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) data. The ASAR instrument was activated in Alternating Polarization (AP) and Image (IM) modes, providing high resolution datasets. Thus, the comparison with a quasi-simultaneous ERS-2 scene enables the evaluation of the contribution of polarization configurations to flood boundary delineation. This study highlights the increased capabilities of the Envisat ASAR instrument in flood mapping, especially the benefit of combining like- and cross-polarizations for rapid mapping within a crisis context.