INSAR TIME SERIES INVESTIGATION OF LAND SURFACE DEFORMATION IN AZAR OIL FIELD

Abstract

Abstract. Time-series interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) has developed as an influential method to measure various surface deformations. One of the generations of time-series InSAR methodologies is Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) that focuses on targets with a high correlation over time. In this study, we have measured the surface deformation in Azar Oil Field utilizing time series analysis. Azar Oil Field is one of Iran's oil fields. This oil field is located in the east of the city of Mehran, Ilam province. The reservoir of this oil field is shared by Iraq oil field whose name is Badra where oil extraction started in 201409. While Iran started oil exploration in 201709, Iraq has maximized its oil exploration ever since. The subsidence is mainly observed in the vicinity of the oil field. The Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers (StaMPS) package has been employed to process 20 descending ENVISAT-ASAR images collected between 2003 and 2009, as well as 50 descending Sentinel-1A satellite images collected between 2014 and 2019. Sentinel-1 images bring new improvements due to their wide coverage and high revisiting time, which allows us to make a wide area processing. Due to the high depth of oil wells (4,300 meters), as well as the stone type of the region’s bed in some areas, we needed to calculate the magnitude of subsidence. The results show the maximum displacement rate in this area is 18 mm between 2014 and 2019 in the radar line of sight direction, but no subsidence took place between 2003 and 2009 .The results of the study confirm typical patterns of subsidence induced by oil extraction. Also, since 2017, with the onset of Iran’s oil extraction and the intensification of Iraq's oil exploration, subsidence has taken place with a steeper slope. The displacement of the area before and after this date is modelled with two lines.