Abstract
Earthquakes pose a significant hazard, and due to the growth of vulnerable, exposed populations, global levels of seismic risk are increasing. In the past three decades, a dramatic improvement in the volume, quality and consistency of satellite observations of solid earth processes has occurred. I review the current Earth Observing (EO) systems commonly used for measuring earthquake and crustal deformation that can help constrain the potential sources of seismic hazard. I examine the various current contributions and future potential for EO data to feed into aspects of the earthquake disaster management cycle. I discuss the implications that systematic assimilation of Earth Observation data has for the future assessment of seismic hazard and secondary hazards, and the contributions it will make to earthquake disaster risk reduction. I focus on the recent applications of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and increasingly the use of Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) for the derivation of crustal deformation and these data’s contribution to estimates of hazard. I finish by examining the outlook for EO in geohazards in both science and decision-making, as well as offering some recommendations for an enhanced acquisition strategy for SAR data.
Highlights
Earthquakes are a consequence of the sudden release of the accumulation of strain within the Earth’s crust due to the stresses from the tectonic driving forces of plate motion and mountain building
In the past when revisit periods were longer and imagery was not acquired on every pass, the low coherence limited the areas that were suitable for Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations, depending upon land cover type and wavelength used
A relevant initiative was the organisation of “supersites” (Geohazard Supersites and Natural Laboratories–GSNL) that seeks to increase the openness of satellite observations and in situ data over particular target sites, such as the San Andreas Fault Natural Laboratory and the Sea of Marmara (Istanbul) where major earthquakes are anticipated to be probable in the near future (Parsons et al 2004)
Summary
Earthquakes are a consequence of the sudden release of the accumulation of strain within the Earth’s crust due to the stresses from the tectonic driving forces of plate motion and mountain building. A permanent displacement of the Earth’s surface occurs due to the change in the accumulated elastic energy that results from the sudden slip across the fault surface (which in itself can be a direct hazard if buildings straddle the fault rupture) This static displacement leads in the long-term (after many earthquake cycles) to the permanent deformation of the crust, accommodating the translation of plates and crustal blocks, as well as resulting in the growth of geological structures and mountains. An increasing number of observations point to the propensity for faults (in particular subduction zone interfaces) to accommodate transient slow slip within these locked zones (Jolivet and Frank 2020) This slip releases the accumulated elastic energy slowly enough that seismic shaking is not generated, but the motion can be detectable geodetically. I finish by providing some recommendations for the further optimisation of satellite observations for earthquake hazard in future mission planning and development
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