Abstract Observing Earth from the space is key for monitoring land-surface dynamics and probing near-surface geomorphic and geological features, including those obscured by sand sheets/dunes and human activity. The hyper-arid area of the Arabian Peninsula was selected for detecting and extracting obscure paleohydrological systems and modeling the spatio-temporal dynamics of sand dunes using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical high-resolution remote sensing images. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) coherence change detection (CCD) using Sentinel-1 imagery was performed, revealing subtle changes in the surficial landforms of the study area. These images also discriminated between active and inactive geomorphic features. In addition, low-frequency L-band Advanced Land Observing Satellite/Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS/PALSAR) and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data revealed the details of paleochannels in the basins that drain into the Arabian Gulf. These ephemeral rivers are the source of sand that was later reshaped into dunes by aeolian processes. The results also revealed that the morphology and extension of dunes were clearly influenced by topography, slope, and wind velocity and direction, rather than human activities. Knowledge gained by exploring desert features is essential for planning settlements and development, and integrated approaches using a variety of remote sensing datasets are key for enhancing Earth observation across a range of spatial and temporal scales.

中文翻译：

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使用光学和雷达遥感卫星识别和监测沙特阿拉伯最干燥沙漠中的活动/非活动地貌

摘要 从太空观测地球是监测地表动态和探测近地表地貌和地质特征的关键，包括被沙床/沙丘和人类活动遮挡的那些。选择阿拉伯半岛的超干旱地区来检测和提取模糊的古水文系统，并使用合成孔径雷达 (SAR) 和光学高分辨率遥感图像对沙丘的时空动态进行建模。使用 Sentinel-1 图像进行了干涉合成孔径雷达 (InSAR) 相干变化检测 (CCD)，揭示了研究区地表地貌的细微变化。这些图像还区分了活跃和不活跃的地貌特征。此外，低频 L 波段高级陆地观测卫星/相控阵型 L 波段合成孔径雷达 (ALOS/PALSAR) 和航天飞机雷达地形任务 (SRTM) 数据揭示了流入阿拉伯湾的盆地中古河道的详细信息。这些短暂的河流是沙子的来源，后来被风成过程重新塑造成沙丘。结果还表明，沙丘的形态和延伸明显受地形、坡度、风速和风向的影响，而非人类活动。通过探索沙漠特征获得的知识对于规划定居点和发展至关重要，使用各种遥感数据集的综合方法是加强一系列空间和时间尺度的地球观测的关键。