The Multiple Aperture SAR Interferometry (MAI) Technique for the Detection of Large Ground Displacement Dynamics: An Overview

This work presents an overview of the multiple aperture synthetic aperture radar interferometric (MAI) technique, which is primarily used to measure the along-track components of the Earth’s surface deformation, by investigating its capabilities and potential applications. Such a method is widely used to monitor the time evolution of ground surface changes in areas with large deformations (e.g., due to glaciers movements or seismic episodes), permitting one to discriminate the three-dimensional (up–down, east–west, north–south) components of the Earth’s surface displacements. The MAI technique relies on the spectral diversity (SD) method, which consists of splitting the azimuth (range) Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) signal spectrum into separate sub-bands to get an estimate of the surface displacement along the azimuth (sensor line-of-sight (LOS)) direction. Moreover, the SD techniques are also used to correct the atmospheric phase screen (APS) artefacts (e.g., the ionospheric and water vapor phase distortion effects) that corrupt surface displacement time-series obtained by currently available multi-temporal InSAR (MT-InSAR) tools. More recently, the SD methods have also been exploited for the fine co-registration of SAR data acquired with the Terrain Observation with Progressive Scans (TOPS) mode. This work is primarily devoted to illustrating the underlying rationale and effectiveness of the MAI and SD techniques as well as their applications. In addition, we present an innovative method to combine complementary information of the ground deformation collected from multi-orbit/multi-track satellite observations. In particular, the presented technique complements the recently developed Minimum Acceleration combination (MinA) method with MAI-driven azimuthal ground deformation measurements to obtain the time-series of the 3-D components of the deformation in areas affected by large deformation episodes. Experimental results encompass several case studies. The validity and relevance of the presented approaches are clearly demonstrated in the context of geospatial analyses.

Download Full-text

An extended GeoNode-Based Platform for Detailed Analysis of the Spatial/Temporal DInSAR Information Contents

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-17569 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Adele Fusco ◽

Sabatino Buonanno ◽

Giovanni Zeni ◽

Michele Manunta ◽

Maria Marsella ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Spatial Data ◽

High Performance ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Surface Displacement ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Sar Data ◽

Informative Content ◽

Aperture Radar

We present an efficient tool for managing, visualizing, analysing, and integrating with other data sources, Earth Observation (EO) data for the analysis of surface deformation phenomena. In particular, we focused on specific EO data that are those obtained by an advanced-processing of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data for monitoring wide areas of the Earth's surface. More specifically, we refer to the SAR technique called advanced differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) that have demonstrated its capabilities to detect, to map and to analyse the on-going surface displacement phenomena, both spatially and temporally, with centimetre to millimetre accuracy thanks to the generation of deformation maps and time-series. Currently, the DInSAR scenario is characterized by a huge availability of SAR data acquired during the last 25 years, now with a massive and ever-increasing data flow supplied by the C-band Sentinel-1 (S1) constellation of the European Copernicus program.Considering this big picture, the Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) becomes a fundamental tool to implement a framework to handle the informative content of geographic data. Indeed, an SDI represents a collection of technologies, policies, standards, human resources, and related activities permitting the acquisition, processing, distribution, use, maintenance, and preservation of spatial data. We implemented an SDI, extending the functionalities of GeoNode, which is a web-based platform, providing an open-source framework based on the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards. OGC makes easier interoperability functionalities, that represent an extremely important aspect because allow the data producers to share geospatial information for all types of cooperative processes, avoiding duplication of efforts and costs. Our implemented GeoNode-Based Platform extends a Geographic Information System (GIS) to a web-accessible resource and adapts the SDI tools to DInSAR-related requirements. Our efforts have been dedicated to enabling the GeoNode platform to effectively analyze and visualize the spatial/temporal characteristics of the DInSAR deformation time-series and their related products. Moreover, the implemented multi-thread based new functionalities allow us to efficiently upload and update large data volumes of the available DInSAR results into a dedicated geodatabase. We demonstrate the high performance of implemented GeoNode-Based Platform, showing DInSAR results relevant to the acquisitions of the Sentinel-1 constellation, collected during 2015-2018 over Italy.This work is supported by the 2019-2021 IREA CNR and Italian Civil Protection Department agreement; the H2020 EPOS-SP project (GA 871121); the I-AMICA (PONa3_00363) project; and the IREA-CNR/DGSUNMIG agreement.&#160;&#160;

Download Full-text

Removal of systematic seasonal atmospheric signal from interferometric synthetic aperture radar ground deformation time series

Geophysical Research Letters ◽

10.1002/2014gl061307 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 41 (17) ◽

pp. 6123-6130 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Sergey V. Samsonov ◽

Alexander P. Trishchenko ◽

Kristy Tiampo ◽

Pablo J. González ◽

Yu Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Ground Deformation ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Aperture Radar

Download Full-text

Production-Induced Subsidence at the Los Humeros Geothermal Field Inferred from PS-InSAR

Geofluids ◽

10.1155/2019/2306092 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Eszter Békési ◽

Peter A. Fokker ◽

Joana E. Martins ◽

Jon Limberger ◽

Damien Bonté ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Ground Deformation ◽

Geothermal Field ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Fluid Extraction ◽

Volume Changes ◽

Geomechanical Properties ◽

Reservoir Compartmentalization ◽

Aperture Radar

Surface deformation due to fluid extraction can be detected by satellite-based geodetic sensors, providing important insights on subsurface geomechanical properties. In this study, we use Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) observations to measure ground deformation due to fluid extraction at the Los Humeros Geothermal Field (Puebla, Mexico). Our main goal is to reveal the pressure distribution in the reservoir and to identify reservoir compartmentalization, which can be important aspects for optimizing the production of the field. The result of the PS-InSAR (Persistent Scatterer by Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry) analysis shows that the subsidence at the LHGF was up to 8 mm/year between April 2003 and March 2007, which is small relative to the produced volume of 5×106 m3/year. The subsidence pattern indicates that the geothermal field is controlled by sealing faults separating the reservoir into several blocks. To assess if this is the case, we relate surface movements with volume changes in the reservoir through analytical solutions for different types of nuclei of strain. We constrain our models with the movements of the PS points as target observations. Our models imply small volume changes in the reservoir, and the different nuclei of strain solutions differ only slightly. These findings suggest that the pressure within the reservoir is well supported and that reservoir recharge is taking place.

Download Full-text

Transient active deformation in Tainan tableland using persistent scatterers SAR interferometry

BSGF - Earth Sciences Bulletin ◽

10.2113/gssgfbull.184.4-5.441 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 184 (4-5) ◽

pp. 441-450 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Yu-Yia Wu ◽

Jyr-Ching Hu ◽

Geng-Pei Lin ◽

Chung-Pai Chang ◽

Hsin Tung ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Sar Interferometry ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Uplift Rate ◽

Active Deformation ◽

Radar Images ◽

Persistent Scatterers ◽

Area North ◽

Aperture Radar

Abstract Persistent scatterers SAR interferometry (PS-InSAR) was employed to monitor surface deformation in and around the Tainan tableland using 20 advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) images from the ENVISAT satellite taken during the period from 2005 May 19 to 2008 September 25. In our study, we have found that the uplift rate of the northern Tainan tableland is faster than the southern tableland. The slant range displacement (SRD) rate for the area north along the precise leveling array is about 5 to 10 mm/yr with respect to the western edge of the Tainan tableland, whereas the SRD rate for the area south of the leveling array is about 1 to 5 mm/yr. In addition, the uplifted area extends eastward to the Tawan lowland with a maximum SRD rate of nearly 10 mm/yr, which is almost the same as the rate of the Tainan tableland. Results of this study differ from those suggested in previous researches that employed ERS-1/2 radar images taken from 1996 to 1999 and the differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar (D-InSAR) technique. Our findings indicated that the Tawan lowland no longer subsides with respect to the western edge of the Tainan tableland, and that both northern and southern areas are experiencing uplift.

Download Full-text

Time-series analysis of surface deformation at Brady Hot Springs geothermal field (Nevada) using interferometric synthetic aperture radar

Geothermics ◽

10.1016/j.geothermics.2016.01.008 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 ◽

pp. 114-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

S.T. Ali ◽

J. Akerley ◽

E.C. Baluyut ◽

M. Cardiff ◽

N.C. Davatzes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Time Series Analysis ◽

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Hot Springs ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Geothermal Field ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Series Analysis ◽

Aperture Radar

Download Full-text

Co- and Early Postseismic Deformation Due to the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence Constrained by Sentinel-1 and COSMO-SkyMed SAR Data

Seismological Research Letters ◽

10.1785/0220190299 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 91 (4) ◽

pp. 1998-2009 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Kang Wang ◽

Roland Bürgmann

Keyword(s):

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Surface Displacement ◽

Radar Data ◽

Satellite System ◽

Earthquake Sequence ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Postseismic Deformation ◽

Synthetic Aperture Radar Data ◽

Aperture Radar

Abstract The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence ruptured a series of conjugate faults in the broad eastern California shear zone, north of the Mojave Desert in southern California. The average spacing between Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations around the earthquakes is 20–30 km, insufficient to constrain the rupture details of the earthquakes. Here, we use Sentinel-1 and COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) Synthetic Aperture Radar data to derive the high-resolution coseismic and early postseismic surface deformation related to the Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Line of sight (LoS) Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar displacements derived from both Sentinel-1 and CSK data are in good agreement with GNSS measurements. The maximum coseismic displacement occurs near the Mw 7.1 epicenter, with an estimated fault offset of ∼4.5 m on a northwest-striking rupture. Pixel tracking analysis of CSK data also reveals a sharp surface offset of ∼1 m on a second northwest-striking fault strand on which the Mw 6.4 foreshock likely nucleated, which is located ∼2–3 km east of the major rupture. The lack of clear surface displacement across this fault segment during the Mw 6.4 event suggests this fault might have ruptured twice, with more pronounced and shallow slip during the Mw 7.1 mainshock. Both Sentinel-1 and CSK data reveal clear postseismic deformation following the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. Cumulative postseismic deformation near the Mw 7.1 epicenter ∼2 months after the mainshock reaches ∼5 cm along the satellites’ LoSs. The observed postseismic deformation near the fault is indicative of both afterslip and poroelastic rebound. We provide data derived in this study in various data formats, which will be useful for the broad community studying this earthquake sequence.

Download Full-text

Long-range ground deformation monitoring by InSAR analysis

Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences ◽

10.5194/piahs-372-343-2015 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 372 ◽

pp. 343-346 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. Rokugawa ◽

T. Nakamura

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Time Series Analysis ◽

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Ground Deformation ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Alos Palsar ◽

Envisat Asar ◽

Series Analysis ◽

Kanto District

Abstract. InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) analysis is an effective technique to map 3-dimensional surface deformation with high spatial resolution. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capability of InSAR analysis when applied to ground monitoring of an environmental disaster. We performed a time series InSAR analysis using ENVISAT/ASAR and ALOS/PALSAR data and commercial software to investigate subsidence around the Kanto District of Japan. We also investigated techniques for efficient early detection of landslides in Kyushu using time series analysis that incorporated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. ENVISAT/ASAR data acquired from 2003–2010 and ALOS/PALSAR data acquired from 2006–2011 were used to detect poorly expressed geomorphological deformation by conducting time series analyses of periodically acquired SAR data. In addition, to remove noise caused by geographical feature stripes or phase retardation, we applied median filtering, histogram extraction processing, and clarification of the displacement with a Laplacian filter. The main functions of the InSAR time series analysis are the calculation of phase differences between two images and the inversion with smoothness constraint for the estimation of deformation along the line of sight. The results enabled us to establish criteria for the selection of suitable InSAR data pairs, and provided the final error estimation of the derived surface deformation. The results of the analysis in the Kanto District suggested that localized areas of uplift and subsidence have occurred at irregular intervals in this area. Furthermore, the method offers the possibility of early warning of environmental disasters such as landslide and abrupt subsidence. Our results confirm the effectiveness of InSAR analysis for the monitoring of ground deformation over wide areas via the detection of localized subsidence and landslides.

Download Full-text

Atmospheric corrections in interferometric synthetic aperture radar surface deformation – a case study of the city of Mendoza, Argentina

Advances in Geosciences ◽

10.5194/adgeo-35-105-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 105-113 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. Balbarani ◽

P. A. Euillades ◽

L. D. Euillades ◽

F. Casu ◽

N. C. Riveros

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Volcanic Eruptions ◽

Atmospheric Model ◽

Time Span ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Area Of Interest ◽

Aperture Radar

Abstract. Differential interferometry is a remote sensing technique that allows studying crustal deformation produced by several phenomena like earthquakes, landslides, land subsidence and volcanic eruptions. Advanced techniques, like small baseline subsets (SBAS), exploit series of images acquired by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors during a given time span. Phase propagation delay in the atmosphere is the main systematic error of interferometric SAR measurements. It affects differently images acquired at different days or even at different hours of the same day. So, datasets acquired during the same time span from different sensors (or sensor configuration) often give diverging results. Here we processed two datasets acquired from June 2010 to December 2011 by COSMO-SkyMed satellites. One of them is HH-polarized, and the other one is VV-polarized and acquired on different days. As expected, time series computed from these datasets show differences. We attributed them to non-compensated atmospheric artifacts and tried to correct them by using ERA-Interim global atmospheric model (GAM) data. With this method, we were able to correct less than 50% of the scenes, considering an area where no phase unwrapping errors were detected. We conclude that GAM-based corrections are not enough for explaining differences in computed time series, at least in the processed area of interest. We remark that no direct meteorological data for the GAM-based corrections were employed. Further research is needed in order to understand under what conditions this kind of data can be used.

Download Full-text

LiCSAR: An Automatic InSAR Tool for Measuring and Monitoring Tectonic and Volcanic Activity

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12152430 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (15) ◽

pp. 2430 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Milan Lazecký ◽

Karsten Spaans ◽

Pablo J. González ◽

Yasser Maghsoudi ◽

Yu Morishita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Data Storage ◽

Large Scale ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Sar Interferometry ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Online Portal ◽

Processing And Storage ◽

Update Strategy ◽

Aperture Radar

Space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Interferometry (InSAR) is now a key geophysical tool for surface deformation studies. The European Commission’s Sentinel-1 Constellation began acquiring data systematically in late 2014. The data, which are free and open access, have global coverage at moderate resolution with a 6 or 12-day revisit, enabling researchers to investigate large-scale surface deformation systematically through time. However, full exploitation of the potential of Sentinel-1 requires specific processing approaches as well as the efficient use of modern computing and data storage facilities. Here we present Looking Into Continents from Space with Synthetic Aperture Radar (LiCSAR), an operational system built for large-scale interferometric processing of Sentinel-1 data. LiCSAR is designed to automatically produce geocoded wrapped and unwrapped interferograms and coherence estimates, for large regions, at 0.001° resolution (WGS-84 coordinate system). The products are continuously updated at a frequency depending on prioritised regions (monthly, weekly or live update strategy). The products are open and freely accessible and downloadable through an online portal. We describe the algorithms, processing, and storage solutions implemented in LiCSAR, and show several case studies that use LiCSAR products to measure tectonic and volcanic deformation. We aim to accelerate the uptake of InSAR data by researchers as well as non-expert users by mass producing interferograms and derived products.

Download Full-text

Estimation of Deformation Intensity above a Flooded Potash Mine Near Berezniki (Perm Krai, Russia) with SAR Interferometry

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12193215 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (19) ◽

pp. 3215

Author(s):

Sergey Samsonov ◽

Alexandr Baryakh

Keyword(s):

Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽

Ground Deformation ◽

Measurement Techniques ◽

Sar Interferometry ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Ground Subsidence ◽

Synthetic Aperture Radar Data ◽

Perm Krai ◽

Potash Mine ◽

Aperture Radar

In this study we used RADARSAT-2 and Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar data for measuring subsidence above a flooded potash mine, which is almost entirely located within the city of Berezniki (Perm Krai, Russia), population 150,000. This area has experienced very fast subsidence since October 2006 when the integrity of the Berezniki-1 mine was compromised, resulting in water intrusion, subsequent flooding and closure of the mine. Due to the ongoing dissolution of carnallite, subsidence in this region is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. In addition to rapid subsidence, at least five sinkholes have formed in the region, with the largest being 440 × 320 m. We observed ground subsidence during the period October 2011–April 2014 (RADARSAT-2) with a vertical rate up to 14 cm/year and horizontal rate up to 10 cm/year; during the period July 2016–June 2020 (Sentinel-1) with a vertical rate up to 17 cm/year. Our results were validated by precise leveling, with a coefficient of correlation of 0.75. Subsidence faster than 17 cm/year observed by precise leveling was not resolvable with Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR). Our results show the complementary nature of ground-based and space-borne measurement techniques. The precise leveling captures subsidence along profile lines with high precision but lower temporal resolution, while DInSAR captures subsidence with high spatial and temporal resolutions but with lower precision. DInSAR is also significantly affected by decorrelation outside of urban areas. An important advantage of our methodology is the ability to measure the horizontal east component of the ground deformation when both, ascending and descending, data are available. This measurement directly characterizes the level of anthropogenic load on buildings and infrastructure. We recommend continuing monitoring subsidence using both measurement techniques, which can also be complemented by continuous Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

Download Full-text