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Remote sensing of terrestrial impact craters: The TanDEM‐X digital elevation model
Author(s) -
Gottwald Manfred,
Fritz Thomas,
Breit Helko,
Schättler Birgit,
Harris Alan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
meteoritics and planetary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.09
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 1086-9379
DOI - 10.1111/maps.12794
Subject(s) - impact crater , digital elevation model , remote sensing , geology , terrain , elevation (ballistics) , radar , interferometry , shuttle radar topography mission , geodesy , astrobiology , computer science , geography , geometry , cartography , physics , optics , telecommunications , mathematics
With the Tan DEM ‐X digital elevation model ( DEM ), the terrestrial solid surface is globally mapped with unprecedented accuracy. Tan DEM ‐X is a German X‐band radar mission whose two identical satellites have been operated in single‐pass interferometer configuration over several years. The acquired data are processed to yield a global DEM with 12 m independent posting and relative vertical accuracies of better than 2 m and 4 m in moderate and mountainous terrain, respectively. This DEM provides new opportunities for space‐borne remote‐sensing studies of the entire sample of terrestrial impact craters. In addition, it represents an interesting repository to aid in the search for new impact crater candidates. We have used the Tan DEM ‐X DEM to investigate the current set of confirmed impact structures. For a subsample of the craters, including small, midsized, and large structures, we compared the results with those from other DEM s. This quantitative analysis demonstrates the excellent quality of the Tan DEM ‐X elevation data. Our findings help to estimate what can be gained by using the Tan DEM ‐X DEM in impact crater studies. They may also be beneficial in identifying the regions and morphologies where the search for currently unknown impact structures might be most promising.