Analysis And Interpretation Of Tsunami Damage Caused By The 2011 Japan Earthquake Using Envisat Asar Images

An analysis of the ENVISAT advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) observations of the area hit by the 2011 Japan tsunami is presented. The height of the tsunami waves was sufficient to cause widespread inundation of coastal areas. The SAR acquisitions were performed on February 19 (20 days before the tsunami) and March 21 (ten days after the tsunami) in interferometric mode so that not only the information regarding the intensity of the radar signals but also the complex coherence was used. The interpretation of the available data has allowed researchers to detect flooded areas. Though the post-tsunami acquisition is a bit late for the fixed 30-day observation cycle of ENVISAT ASAR sensor, and the spatial resolution of ASAR is relatively low, valuable information regarding the damage was still retrieved. These interpretations have been validated by a series of optical images, which served as benchmarks.