Recent interdisciplinary research in the neovolcanic zone of Iceland using SAR data

The ESA project "Monitoring of Natural Land Surface Change in Iceland using ERS-1/ERS-2 and Other Remote Sensing Systems" was initiated to investigate the possibilities of radar remote sensing to observe glaciers and volcanic areas in Iceland. In this context, the ERS-1/2 Tandem Missions (August 17, 1995 - May 16, 1996, and October 21-24, 1996) offered a unique opportunity to employ interferometric methods. In 1995/96 an international team of scientists carried out a preparatory work, marking test sites in Iceland with comer reflectors, obtaining GPS and soil moisture measurements, and determining surface roughness. Radar data processing, interferometric software development and processing were undertaken. The importance to explore the limitations of the technique as well as the advantages was demonstrated in autumn of 1996 when a volcanic eruption took place within the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland. The usefulness of the Tandem data is presented by one example where a cm-scale uplift is observed in two surface depressions within the Vatnajökull glacier. The depressions are due to subglacial geothermal activity and the uplift is a result of an iceflow into the depressions.