Review of Works Combining GNSS and InSAR in Europe

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) can be combined to achieve different goals, owing to their main principles. Both enable the collection of information about ground deformation due to the differences of two consequent acquisitions. Their variable applications, even if strictly related to ground deformation and water vapor determination, have encouraged the scientific community to combine GNSS and InSAR data and their derivable products. In this work, more than 190 scientific contributions were collected spanning the whole European continent. The spatial and temporal distribution of such studies, as well as the distinction in different fields of application, were analyzed. Research in Italy, as the most represented nation, with 47 scientific contributions, has been dedicated to the spatial and temporal distribution of its studied phenomena. The state-of-the-art of the various applications of these two combined techniques can improve the knowledge of the scientific community and help in the further development of new approaches or additional applications in different fields. The demonstrated usefulness and versability of the combination of GNSS and InSAR remote sensing techniques for different purposes, as well as the availability of free data, EUREF and GMS (Ground Motion Service), and the possibility of overcoming some limitations of these techniques through their combination suggest an increasingly widespread approach.

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Geodetic Study of the 2006–2010 Ground Deformation in La Palma (Canary Islands): Observational Results

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12162566 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (16) ◽

pp. 2566

Author(s):

Joaquín Escayo ◽

José Fernández ◽

Juan F. Prieto ◽

Antonio G. Camacho ◽

Mimmo Palano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Canary Islands ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Ground Deformation ◽

Satellite System ◽

Point Of View ◽

Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry ◽

La Palma ◽

Moderate Seismicity ◽

Definition Of ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

La Palma is one of the youngest of the Canary Islands, and historically the most active. The recent activity and unrest in the archipelago, the moderate seismicity observed in 2017 and 2018 and the possibility of catastrophic landslides related to the Cumbre Vieja volcano have made it strongly advisable to ensure a realistic knowledge of the background surface deformation on the island. This will then allow any anomalous deformation related to potential volcanic unrest on the island to be detected by monitoring the surface deformation. We describe here the observation results obtained during the 2006–2010 period using geodetic techniques such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Advanced Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (A-DInSAR) and microgravimetry. These results show that, although there are no significant associated variations in gravity, there is a clear surface deformation that is spatially and temporally variable. Our results are discussed from the point of view of the unrest and its implications for the definition of an operational geodetic monitoring system for the island.

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Copernicus Sentinel-1 MT-InSAR, GNSS and Seismic Monitoring of Deformation Patterns and Trends at the Methana Volcano, Greece

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10186445 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (18) ◽

pp. 6445 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Theodoros Gatsios ◽

Francesca Cigna ◽

Deodato Tapete ◽

Vassilis Sakkas ◽

Kyriaki Pavlou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Surface ◽

Surface Deformation ◽

Ground Deformation ◽

Local Population ◽

Seasonal Fluctuation ◽

Satellite System ◽

Deformation Monitoring ◽

Persistent Scatterers ◽

Geothermal Activity ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

The Methana volcano in Greece belongs to the western part of the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, where the African and Eurasian tectonic plates converge at a rate of approximately 3 cm/year. While volcanic hazard in Methana is considered low, the neotectonic basin constituting the Saronic Gulf area is seismically active and there is evidence of local geothermal activity. Monitoring is therefore crucial to characterize any activity at the volcano that could impact the local population. This study aims to detect surface deformation in the whole Methana peninsula based on a long stack of 99 Sentinel-1 C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images in interferometric wide swath mode acquired in March 2015–August 2019. A Multi-Temporal Interferometric SAR (MT-InSAR) processing approach is exploited using the Interferometric Point Target Analysis (IPTA) method, involving the extraction of a network of targets including both Persistent Scatterers (PS) and Distributed Scatterers (DS) to augment the monitoring capability across the varied land cover of the peninsula. Satellite geodetic data from 2006–2019 Global Positioning System (GPS) benchmark surveying are used to calibrate and validate the MT-InSAR results. Deformation monitoring records from permanent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations, two of which were installed within the peninsula in 2004 (METH) and 2019 (MTNA), are also exploited for interpretation of the regional deformation scenario. Geological, topographic, and 2006–2019 seismological data enable better understanding of the ground deformation observed. Line-of-sight displacement velocities of the over 4700 PS and 6200 DS within the peninsula are from −18.1 to +7.5 mm/year. The MT-InSAR data suggest a complex displacement pattern across the volcano edifice, including local-scale land surface processes. In Methana town, ground stability is found on volcanoclasts and limestone for the majority of the urban area footprint while some deformation is observed in the suburban zones. At the Mavri Petra andesitic dome, time series of the exceptionally dense PS/DS network across blocks of agglomerate and cinder reveal seasonal fluctuation (5 mm amplitude) overlapping the long-term stable trend. Given the steepness of the slopes along the eastern flank of the volcano, displacement patterns may indicate mass movements. The GNSS, seismological and MT-InSAR analyses lead to a first account of deformation processes and their temporal evolution over the last years for Methana, thus providing initial information to feed into the volcano baseline hazard assessment and monitoring system.

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Determination of sea surface height from moving ships with dynamic corrections

Journal of Geodetic Science ◽

10.2478/v10156-011-0038-3 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 172-187 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

J. Reinking ◽

A. Härting ◽

L. Bastos

Keyword(s):

Satellite System ◽

Ocean Dynamics ◽

Sea Surface ◽

Sea Surface Heights ◽

Positioning Analysis ◽

Remote Sensing Techniques ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

AbstractWith the growing global efforts to estimate the influence of civilization on the climate change it would be desirable to survey sea surface heights (SSH) not only by remote sensing techniques like satellite altimetry or (GNSS) Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry but also by direct and in-situ measurements in the open ocean. In recent years different groups attempted to determine SSH by ship-based GNSS observations. Due to recent advances in kinematic GNSS (PPP) Precise Point Positioning analysis it is already possible to derive GNSS antenna heights with a quality of a few centimeters. Therefore it is foreseeable that this technique will be used more intensively in the future, with obvious advantages in sea positioning. For the determination of actual SSH from GNSS-derived antenna heights aboard seagoing vessels some essential hydrostatic and hydrodynamic corrections must be considered in addition to ocean dynamics and related corrections. Systematic influences of ship dynamics were intensively analyzed and sophisticated techniques were developed at the Jade University during the last decades to precisely estimate mandatory corrections. In this paper we will describe the required analyses and demonstrate their application by presenting a case study from an experiment on a cruise vessel carried out in March 2011 in the Atlantic Ocean.

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The 2018–2019 seismo-volcanic crisis east of Mayotte, Comoros islands: seismicity and ground deformation markers of an exceptional submarine eruption

Geophysical Journal International ◽

10.1093/gji/ggaa273 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 223 (1) ◽

pp. 22-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Anne Lemoine ◽

Pierre Briole ◽

Didier Bertil ◽

Agathe Roullé ◽

Michael Foumelis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ground Deformation ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Harmonic Oscillation ◽

Satellite System ◽

First Year ◽

Secondary Source ◽

Magma Intrusion ◽

Volcanic Event ◽

Volcanic Islands ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

SUMMARY On 10 May 2018, an unprecedented long and intense seismic crisis started offshore, east of Mayotte, the easternmost of the Comoros volcanic islands. The population felt hundreds of events. Over the course of 1 yr, 32 earthquakes with magnitude greater than 5 occurred, including the largest event ever recorded in the Comoros (Mw = 5.9 on 15 May 2018). Earthquakes are clustered in space and time. Unusual intense long lasting monochromatic very long period events were also registered. From early July 2018, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) registered a large drift, testimony of a large offshore deflation. We describe the onset and the evolution of a large magmatic event thanks to the analysis of the seismicity from the initiation of the crisis through its first year, compared to the ground deformation observation (GNSS and InSAR) and modelling. We discriminate and characterize the initial fracturing phase, the phase of magma intrusion and dyke propagation from depth to the subsurface, and the eruptive phase that starts on 3 July 2018, around 50 d after the first seismic events. The eruption is not terminated 2 yr after its initiation, with the persistence of an unusual seismicity, whose pattern has been similar since summer 2018, including episodic very low frequency events presenting a harmonic oscillation with a period of ∼16 s. From July 2018, the whole Mayotte Island drifted eastward and downward at a slightly increasing rate until reaching a peak in late 2018. At the apex, the mean deformation rate was 224 mm yr−1 eastward and 186 mm yr−1 downward. During 2019, the deformation smoothly decreased and in January 2020, it was less than 20 per cent of its peak value. A deflation model of a magma reservoir buried in a homogenous half space fits well the data. The modelled reservoir is located 45 ± 5 km east of Mayotte, at a depth of 28 ± 3 km and the inferred magma extraction at the apex was ∼94 m3 s−1. The introduction of a small secondary source located beneath Mayotte Island at the same depth as the main one improves the fit by 20 per cent. While the rate of the main source drops by a factor of 5 during 2019, the rate of the secondary source remains stable. This might be a clue of the occurrence of relaxation at depth that may continue for some time after the end of the eruption. According to our model, the total volume extracted from the deep reservoir was ∼2.65 km3 in January 2020. This is the largest offshore volcanic event ever quantitatively documented. This seismo-volcanic crisis is consistent with the trans-tensional regime along Comoros archipelago.

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Volcanic Activity of Sakurajima Monitored Using Global Navigation Satellite System

Journal of Disaster Research ◽

10.20965/jdr.2018.p0518 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 518-525 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Masato Iguchi ◽

Keyword(s):

Global Navigation Satellite System ◽

Volcanic Activity ◽

Ground Deformation ◽

Satellite System ◽

Navigation Satellite ◽

Magma Intrusion ◽

Sakurajima Volcano ◽

Global Navigation ◽

Gnss Network ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

A dense Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network has been deployed at Sakurajima volcano since 1995 and extends to the surrounding area of the Aira caldera. The ground deformation obtained by GNSS observation corresponds to transient eruptive activity of Sakurajima volcano, which has produced frequent vulcanian eruptions since 1955. Inflation of the volcano was detected prior to the increase in vulcanian eruptions in 1999, and resumption of the eruptions at the Showa crater. Magma intrusion events and an increase in eruptions in late 2009, late 2011, and early 2015 suggest the existence of an open-conduit system from the Aira caldera to the vents at the summit area of the Minamidake cone, through the sub reservoir beneath the older Kitadake cone. Ground deformation induced by sudden dike intrusion is different from that of previous intrusions, as revealed by the dense GNSS network. GNSS data are useful in evaluating and forecasting volcanic activity, and are available to grasp the advection and diffusion of volcanic ash.

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Combining Sentinel-1 Interferometry and Ground-Based Geomatics Techniques for Monitoring Buildings Affected by Mass Movements

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13030452 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 452

Author(s):

Xue Chen ◽

Vladimiro Achilli ◽

Massimo Fabris ◽

Andrea Menin ◽

Michele Monego ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laser Scanning ◽

Large Scale ◽

Ground Deformation ◽

Satellite System ◽

Mass Movements ◽

The North ◽

Geological Processes ◽

Multi Temporal ◽

Image Pixels ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

Mass movements represent a serious threat to the stability of human structures and infrastructures, and cause loss of lives and severe damages to human properties every year worldwide. Built structures located on potentially unstable slopes are susceptible to deformations due to the displacement of the ground that at worst can lead to total destruction. Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data acquired by Sentinel-1 satellites and processed by multi-temporal interferometric SAR (MT-InSAR) techniques can measure centimeter to millimeter-level displacement with weekly to monthly updates, characterizing long-term large-scale behavior of the buildings and slopes. However, the spatial resolution and short wavelength weaken the performance of Sentinel-1 in recognizing features (i.e., single buildings) inside image pixels and maintaining the coherence in mountainous vegetated areas. We have proposed and applied a methodology that combines Sentinel-1 interferometry with ground-based geomatics techniques, i.e., global navigation satellite system (GNSS), terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and terrestrial structure from motion photogrammetry (SfM), for fully assessing building deformations on a slope located in the north-eastern Italian pre-Alps. GNSS allows verifying the ground deformation estimated by MT-InSAR and provides a reference system for the TLS and SfM measurements, while TLS and SfM allow the behavior of buildings located in the investigated slope to be monitored in great detail. The obtained results show that damaged buildings are located in the most unstable sectors of the slope, but there is no direct relationship between the rate of ground deformation of these sectors and the temporal evolution of damages to a single building, indicating that mass movements cause the displacement of blocks of buildings and each of them reacts differently according to its structural properties. This work shows the capability of MT-InSAR, GNSS, TLS and SfM in monitoring both buildings and geological processes that affect their stability, which plays a key role in geohazard analysis and assessment.

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Python software to transform GPS SNR wave phases to volumetric water content

GPS Solutions ◽

10.1007/s10291-021-01190-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Angel Martín ◽

Ana Belén Anquela ◽

Sara Ibáñez ◽

Carlos Baixauli ◽

Sara Blanc

Keyword(s):

Water Content ◽

Scientific Community ◽

Signal To Noise Ratio ◽

Satellite System ◽

Volumetric Water Content ◽

Signal To Noise ◽

Ratio Data ◽

Global Navigation Satellite ◽

Main Ideas ◽

Extract Information

AbstractThe global navigation satellite system interferometric reflectometry is often used to extract information about the environment surrounding the antenna. One of the most important applications is soil moisture monitoring. This manuscript presents the main ideas and implementation decisions needed to write the Python code to transform the derived phase of the interferometric GPS waves, obtained from signal-to-noise ratio data continuously observed during a period of several weeks (or months), to volumetric water content. The main goal of the manuscript is to share the software with the scientific community to help users in the GPS-IR computation.

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Regional Crustal Vertical Deformation Driven by Terrestrial Water Load Depending on CORS Network and Environmental Loading Data: A Case Study of Southeast Zhejiang

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s21227699 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (22) ◽

pp. 7699

Author(s):

Wanqiu Li ◽

Jie Dong ◽

Wei Wang ◽

Hanjiang Wen ◽

Huanling Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Interpolation Method ◽

Temporal Distribution ◽

Satellite System ◽

Spherical Harmonic Analysis ◽

Vertical Deformation ◽

Environmental Loading ◽

Water Load ◽

Load Change ◽

Terrestrial Water ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

Monitoring regional terrestrial water load deformation is of great significance to the dynamic maintenance and hydrodynamic study of the regional benchmark framework. In view of the lack of a spatial interpolation method based on the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) elevation time series for obtaining terrestrial water load deformation information, this paper proposes to employ a CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) network combined with environmental loading data, such as ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) atmospheric data, the GLDAS (Global Land Data Assimilation System) hydrological model, and MSLA (Mean Sea Level Anomaly) data. Based on the load deformation theory and spherical harmonic analysis method, we took 38 CORS stations in southeast Zhejiang province as an example and comprehensively determined the vertical deformation of the crust as caused by regional terrestrial water load changes from January 2015 to December 2017, and then compared these data with the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellite. The results show that the vertical deformation value of the terrestrial water load in southeast Zhejiang, as monitored by the CORS network, can reach a centimeter, and the amplitude changes from −1.8 cm to 2.4 cm. The seasonal change is obvious, and the spatial distribution takes a ladder form from inland to coastal regions. The surface vertical deformation caused by groundwater load changes in the east–west–south–north–central sub-regions show obvious fluctuations from 2015 to 2017, and the trends of the five sub-regions are consistent. The amplitude of surface vertical deformation caused by groundwater load change in the west is higher than that in the east. We tested the use of GRACE for the verification of CORS network monitoring results and found a relatively consistent temporal distribution between both data sets after phase delay correction on GRACE, except for in three months—November in 2015, and January and February in 2016. The results show that the comprehensive solution based on the CORS network can effectively improve the monitoring of crustal vertical deformation during regional terrestrial water load change.

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Subsidence Evolution of the Firenze–Prato–Pistoia Plain (Central Italy) Combining PSI and GNSS Data

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs10071146 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1146 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Matteo Del Soldato ◽

Gregorio Farolfi ◽

Ascanio Rosi ◽

Federico Raspini ◽

Nicola Casagli

Keyword(s):

Ground Deformation ◽

Central Italy ◽

Satellite System ◽

Industrial Sector ◽

Ground Deformations ◽

Area Of Interest ◽

Vertical Ground ◽

Historic Centre ◽

Global Navigation Satellite ◽

Gnss Data

Subsidence phenomena, as well as landslides and floods, are one of the main geohazards affecting the Tuscany region (central Italy). The monitoring of related ground deformations plays a key role in their management to avoid problems for buildings and infrastructure. In this scenario, Earth observation offers a better solution in terms of costs and benefits than traditional techniques (e.g., GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) or levelling networks), especially for wide area applications. In this work, the subsidence-related ground motions in the Firenze–Prato–Pistoia plain were back-investigated to track the evolution of displacement from 2003 to 2017 by means of multi-interferometric analysis of ENVISAT and Sentinel-1 imagery combined with GNSS data. The resulting vertical deformation velocities are aligned to the European Terrestrial Reference System 89 (ETRS89) datum and can be considered real velocity of displacement. The vertical ground deformation maps derived by ENVISAT and Sentinel-1 data, corrected with the GNSS, show how the area affected by subsidence for the period 2003–2010 and the period 2014–2017 evolved. The differences between the two datasets in terms of the extension and velocity values were analysed and then associated with the geological setting of the basin and external factors, e.g., new greenhouses and nurseries. This analysis allowed for reconstructing the evolution of the subsidence for the area of interest showing an increment of ground deformation in the historic centre of Pistoia Town, a decrement of subsidence in the nursery area between Pistoia and Prato cities, and changes in the industrial sector close to Prato.

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A Covariance-Based Approach to Merging InSAR and GNSS Displacement Rate Measurements

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs12020300 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 300

Author(s):

Alessandro Parizzi ◽

Fernando Rodriguez Gonzalez ◽

Ramon Brcic

Keyword(s):

Real Data ◽

Satellite System ◽

Synthetic Aperture ◽

Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry ◽

The North ◽

Spatial Frequencies ◽

Gnss Measurements ◽

Global Navigation Satellite ◽

Areas Of Interest ◽

Gnss Data

This paper deals with the integration of deformation rates derived from Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data. The proposed approach relies on knowledge of the variance/covariance of both InSAR and GNSS measurements so that they may be combined accounting for the spectral properties of their errors, hence preserving all spatial frequencies of the deformation detected by the two techniques. The variance/covariance description of the output product is also provided. A performance analysis is carried out on realistic simulated scenarios in order to show the boundaries of the technique. The proposed approach is finally applied to real data. Five Sentinel-1A/B stacks acquired over two different areas of interest are processed and discussed. The first example is a merged deformation map of the northern part of the Netherlands for both ascending and descending geometries. The second example shows the deformation at the junction between the North and East Anatolian Fault using three consecutive descending stacks.

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