Evaluation of Slope Stability on Dam Using Ground-based Interferometric Radar

Abstract

Dams are man-made structures built to manage water resources efficiently and prepare for natural disasters such as droughts and floods. It requires careful and continuous inspection to prevent its failure. Research reported to assess dam stability using terrestrial surveys such as ground penetration radar, electrical resistivity tomography, and remote sensing methods such as space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Differential interferometric SAR (DInSAR) calculates the phase difference between two consecutive images acquired at separate times and has been widely utilized to detect surface displacement from volcanoes, earthquakes, and ground subsidence. However, space-borne InSAR applications have limitations in acquiring flexible data for specific dates or regions due to the revisit cycle of the orbital configuration and the fixed acquisition geometry. In this feasibility study, the slope stability of the dam was evaluated using the Gamma Portable Radar Interferometer-II (GPRI-II) which has the advantage of overcoming the limitation of satellite observations. The GPRI-II is a ground-based real aperture radar that operates in the Ku-band wavelength (~1.7 cm), providing convenient portability and installation for high spatial and temporal resolution. A total of 20 GPRI-II datasets were acquired for 22 minutes on June 7, 2023, at a dam in Jeollanam-do for the DInSAR application. The displacement calculation revealed an average displacement of approximately -0.36 mm at a randomly selected point, which is negligible. The average displacement of -0.17 mm was observed for the entire dam. Our results suggest that ground-based radar interferometry could assess the dam slope stability.