Potential applications of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery to nuclear safeguards

Particular strengths of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite imagery are highlighted and potential applications of this unique all-weather, day/night information source to safeguards are described and illustrated by examples. The potential applications can be discussed in three categories: infrastructure analysis, surface change detection, and subsidence mapping. Examples are drawn from the literature and from experiments carried out under the Canadian Safeguards Support Program on proxy sites. Many new unclassified high resolution SAR satellites will soon be launched, and their impact on the state-of-the-art in satellite imaging for safeguards is estimated. We conclude that radar imagery can provide day/night all-weather information that is complementary to high resolution optical imagery. We further conclude that radar imagery can provide some unique information that is difficult to obtain in any other way. (author)