InSAR Methods Research Articles

Landslides detection in Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, Vietnam using the Alos PalSAR time-series imagery by the SBAS method

Radar Interferometry (InSAR) has been known as a technology to monitor the change of elements on the earth's surface for many years. There are many InSAR methods, in which the permanent scattering InSAR Radar (PSInSAR) method uses a series of images to determine the terrain deformetions quite well. However, for areas with lots of vegetation, the number of permanent scattering points (PS points) will be limited. In this paper, we have chosen a method that also uses a set of multi-temporal Radar images but has the lowest spatial and temporal image baselines, this method is called the Small Baselines method (SBAS). With the ALOS PalSAR images series that was collected from August 2007 to November 2010, many landslide points in the area of Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province were discovered. The landslide locations detected from Radar images were compared with the landslide surveying points and landslide interpreted by aerial photos in 2013 provided by Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources Vietnam. There have been many sliding sites coinsiding with the surveyed landslides, which proves that many landslides exist and develop continuously such as the location of Mong Sen bridge, Trung Chai Commune or at Sai Duan bridge, Phin Ngan commune.

Ground Subsidence Analysis in Tianjin (China) Based on Sentinel-1A Data Using MT-InSAR Methods

Multi-temporal InSAR (MT-InSAR) methods have been widely used in remote sensing monitoring of ground subsidence, which occurs at many places around the world. Land subsidence, caused by excessive extraction of groundwater, has always been a problem to be solved in Tianjin, China. Although the subsidence in the urban area has been controlled at a low rate, the subsidence issue has not been effectively solved in the suburban area recently, which should be paid much attention. This paper aims to present two multi-temporal differential interferometry techniques, persistent scatterer (PS) and small baseline subset (SBAS), for monitoring the latest surface subsidence in a Tianjin study area on the basis of 20 Sentinel-1A images obtained from March 2017 to March 2019. Our research showed that the average velocity map obtained from the SBAS method closely followed the outcomes of the PS technique from the perspective of identifying similar subsidence patterns. Subsidence rate gradually increased from the urban area of Tianjin to the suburbs and high subsidence zones were mainly distributed at the junction of the Wuqing, Xiqing and Beichen districts. In the past two years, the annual average subsidence rate in the high settlement area mostly exceeded −50 mm/year, which caused serious damage to local infrastructures. Besides, high-resolution remote sensing images combined with field investigations further verified the successful application of MT-InSAR technology in Tianjin’s subsidence monitoring. Effective ground subsidence control measures need to be taken as soon as possible to prevent the situation from getting worse.

Precise Three-Dimensional Deformation Retrieval in Large and Complex Deformation Areas via Integration of Offset-Based Unwrapping and Improved Multiple-Aperture SAR Interferometry: Application to the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake

Abstract Conventional synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (InSAR) has been successfully used to precisely measure surface deformation in the line-of-sight (LOS) direction, while multiple-aperture SAR interferometry (MAI) has provided precise surface deformation in the along-track (AT) direction. Integration of the InSAR and MAI methods enables precise measurement of the two-dimensional (2D) deformation from an interferometric pair; recently, the integration of ascending and descending pairs has allowed the observation of precise three-dimensional (3D) deformation. Precise 3D deformation measurement has been applied to better understand geological events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The surface deformation related to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake was large and complex near the fault line; hence, precise 3D deformation retrieval had not yet been attempted. The objectives of this study were to (1) perform a feasibility test of precise 3D deformation retrieval in large and complex deformation areas though the integration of offset-based unwrapped and improved multiple-aperture SAR interferograms and (2) observe the 3D deformation field related to the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, even near the fault lines. Two ascending pairs and one descending the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS2) the Phased Array-type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (PALSAR2) pair were used for the 3D deformation retrieval. Eleven in situ Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements were used to validate the 3D deformation measurement accuracy. The achieved accuracy was approximately 2.96, 3.75, and 2.86 cm in the east, north, and up directions, respectively. The results show the feasibility of precise 3D deformation measured through the integration of the improved methods, even in a case of large and complex deformation.

Performance Analysis of Open Source Time Series InSAR Methods for Deformation Monitoring over a Broader Mining Region

Time Series Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (TSInSAR) methods have been widely and successfully applied for spatiotemporal ground deformation monitoring. The main groups of methodological approaches are often referred to as Persistent Scatterer (PS), Small Baseline (SB), and hybrid approaches that incorporate PS and SB concepts. While TSInSAR techniques have long been able to provide accurate deformation rates for various applications, their corresponding performance in complex environments such as mining areas has to be investigated. This study focuses on comparing the performance of three open source TSInSAR toolboxes (Stamps, Giant, Mintpy) over an extended region that includes an active opencast coal mine. We present the deformation results of each TSInSAR method on a Sentinel-1 dataset of 125 acquisitions spanning around 2.5 years over the Ptolemaida-Florina coal mine site that is characterized by several environmental and surface deformation conditions. First, a cross-comparison analysis is presented over different land cover classes. The study shows that all TSInSAR methods are capable for generating similar ground deformation results when the area has stable ground scattering conditions and the dataset sufficient temporal sampling. The most controversial results between TSInSAR approaches were found in land cover classes that include medium to high vegetation. An external comparative analysis between the different results from TSInSAR methods and leveling measurements is also performed. Stamps approach presented the best agreement with the in-situ deformation rates. The Giant approach yielded the best cumulative deformation results due to our a priori knowledge of temporal behavior of deformation in the vicinity of the leveling locations. Finally, we discuss the main pros and cons of each TSInSAR approach and we highlight the importance of comparison analysis that can provide insights and can lead to better interpretation of the results.

Выявление остаточных запасов нефти в продуктивных пластах при разработке месторождения с использованием методов InSar и трассерного метода

Выявление остаточных запасов нефти в продуктивных пластах при разработке месторождения с использованием методов InSar и трассерного метода

Multi-Temporal Investigation of the Boulder Clay Glacier and Northern Foothills (Victoria Land, Antarctica) by Integrated Surveying Techniques

The paper aims to detect the main changes that occurred in the area surrounding the Mario Zucchelli Station (MZS) through analysis of multi-temporal remote sensing integrated by geophysical measurements. Specific attention was directed at realizing an integrated geomorphological study of the Boulder Clay Glacier, a partially debris-covered glacier belonging to the Northern Foothills (Victoria Land, Antarctica). This area was recently chosen as the location for the construction of a new semi-permanent gravel runway for MZS logistical airfreight operations. Photogrammetric analysis was performed by comparing three historical aerial photogrammetric surveys (carried out in 1956, 1985, and 1993) and Very High Resolution (VHR) GeoEye-1 satellite stereo-image coverage acquired in 2012. The comparison of geo-referenced orthophoto-mosaics allowed the main changes occurring in some particular areas along the coast nearby MZS to be established. Concerning the study of the Boulder Clay Glacier, it has to be considered that glaciers and moraines are not steady-state systems by definition. Several remote sensing and geophysical investigations were carried out with the main aim of determining the general assessment of this glacier: Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR); Geodetic Global Positioning System (GPS) network; multi-temporal satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry. The analysis of Boulder Clay Glacier moraine pointed out a deformation of less than 74 mm y−1 in a time span of 56 years, value that agrees with velocity and deformation data observed by GPS and InSAR methods. The presence of unexpected brine ponds at the ice/bedrock interface and the deformation pattern observed in the central part of the moraine has to be monitored and studied, especially under the long-term maintenance of the future runway.

Chronological reflection on monitoring urban areas subsidence due to groundwater extraction

Land subsidence affects urban areas worldwide. Sometimes it could be driven by intensive groundwater withdrawal to assure different urban needs and functionalities. Some of these urban areas have a long history of subsidence that covers almost a century. The aim of this paper is to present the evolution of several urban areas affected by land subsidence, the methods used to monitor vertical displacements along the decades in relationship to the groundwater extraction associated to the urban expansion, and the mitigation techniques used for countering the effects of intensive groundwater withdrawal. Even the originally applied subsidence monitoring methods (such as geometric levelling) are still very sensitive, in terms of time consuming, covered area, and financial effort, these methods might be complemented by new methods based on Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR). InSAR methods show also a significant progress during the last decades when considering the subsidence sensed order of magnitude.

The cause of the 2011 Hawthorne (Nevada) earthquake swarm constrained by seismic and InSAR methods

We used both seismic and InSAR data to investigate the mechanism behind the 2011 Hawthorne (Nevada) earthquake swarm that occurred between March 15 and August 17, 2011. Regional seismic data were used to estimate the centroid depth and focal mechanism for nine earthquakes that occurred in this swarm, with magnitudes between $$M_w$$ 3.9 and $$M_w$$ 4.8. The inferred focal mechanisms indicate that the source of these earthquakes is normal faulting with a small left-lateral strike-slip component along the southwest direction. Three InSAR displacement maps covering the epicentral zone of the 2011 Hawthorne earthquakes were inverted to get a slip model. The slip distribution shows that the deformation source is characterized by normal faulting, consistent with our inferred focal mechanisms. Our results suggest that the seismogenic zone was in the tensile stress environment. The temporal and spatial evolutions of seismicity suggest that the 2011 Hawthorne swarm might be caused by aseismic slip. Therefore, the 2011 Hawthorne earthquake swarm may have been the result of aseismic slip under the regional tectonic stress, and had nothing to do with volcanic activity. However, the quantitative evidence for aseismic slip is limited to the indication that the geodetic moment is 15% greater than the seismic moment, which is near the level of uncertainty.

High-quality three-dimensional displacement fields from new-generation SAR imagery: application to the 2017 Ezgeleh, Iran, earthquake

Mapping the three-dimensional (3D) displacement fields associated with a variety of geological phenomena has been widely performed by exploiting synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, as the result is important for providing insight into the formation mechanisms and potential risks of geological hazards. New-generation SAR sensors, namely ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1, can capture surface deformation with a high coherence in wide-swath mode, thereby providing outstanding across-track displacement accuracies; however, this improvement partially sacrifices the azimuth resolution, which affects the retrieval of 3D surface deformation fields. To explore the feasibility of generating 3D deformation maps with new SAR imagery, we collect two pairs of ALOS-2 ScanSAR and four pairs of Sentinel-1 Terrain Observation by Progressive Scans (TOPS) images for the 12 November 2017 Ezgeleh earthquake. Furthermore, the differential interferometric SAR (DInSAR), pixel offset tracking (POT), multiple-aperture InSAR (MAI), and burst-overlap interferometry (BOI) methods are used to measure the across- and along-track displacements. Compared with the POT and MAI methods, the integration of DInSAR and BOI measurements provides high-quality 3D deformation maps with an accuracy of 4 cm, which is four times and two times better than the accuracies of the POT and MAI methods integrated with DInSAR, respectively. In addition, a significant north–south displacement of 0.76 m is found in our 3D deformation results that was underestimated in the slip distribution model constrained with seismic waveforms or InSAR measurements. Our 3D deformation map of the 2017 Ezgeleh earthquake indicates a southwestward horizontal motion and an upward motion without any corresponding surface rupture that effectively match the behavior of a blind rupture along a northeast-dipping reverse fault. We conclude that combining BOI with DInSAR would provide a better 3D deformation field and should be applied to study future earthquakes.

Two-Dimensional Ground Deformation Monitoring in Shanghai Based on SBAS and MSBAS InSAR Methods

Shanghai has experienced the greatest land subsidence in China in the past sixty years and produced undesirable environmental impact. However, horizontal ground deformation has not been understood yet. Therefore ground deformation monitoring together with the analysis of its driving forces are critical for geo-hazards early-warning, city planning and sustainable urbanization in Shanghai. In this paper, two-dimensional ground deformation monitoring was performed in Shanghai with SBAS and MSBAS InSAR methods. Twenty-nine Multi-Look Fine 6 (MF6) Radar-sat-2 SLC data acquired during 2011-2013 were used to derive vertical ground deformation. Meanwhile, six descending Multi-Look Fine 6 (MF6) and four ascending Multi-Look Fine 2 (MF2) spanning April to August, 2008, were used to derive vertical and horizontal ground deformation during the observation period. The results indicate that vertical and horizontal deformations in 2008 were not homogeneously distributed in different districts ranging from 0-2 cm/year. Vertical de-formation rate during 2011-2013 were decreased to less than 1 cm/year in most district of Shanghai area. Activities from groundwater exploitation and rapid urbanization are responsible for most of the ground deformation in Shanghai. Thus, future ground deformation in vertical and horizontal directions should be warranted.

An evaluation of processing InSAR Sentinel-1A/B data for correlation of mining subsidence with mining induced tremors in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (Poland)

The Satellite Radar Interferometry is one of the common methods that allow to measure the land subsidence caused by the underground black coal excavation. The interferometry images processed from the repeat-pass Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems give the spatial image of the terrain subjected to the surface subsidence over mining areas. Until now, the InSAR methods using data from the SAR Systems like ERS-1/ERS-2 and Envisat-1 were limited to a repeat-pass cycle of 35-day only. Recently, the ESA launched Sentinel-1A and 1B, and together they can provide the InSAR coverage in a 6-day repeat cycle. The studied area was the Upper Silesian Coal Basin in Poland, where the underground coal mining causes continuous subsidence of terrain surface and mining tremors (mine-induced seismicity). The main problem was with overlapping the subsidence caused by the mining exploitation with the epicentre tremors. Based on the Sentinel SAR images, research was done in regard to the correlation between the short term ground subsidence range border and the mine-induced seismicity epicentres localisation.

Monitoring continuous subsidence in the Costa del Sol (Málaga province, southern Spanish coast) using ERS-1/2, Envisat, and Sentinel-1A/B SAR interferometry

In this paper we analyze the subsidence behavior of a coastal area in the province of Málaga (Costa del Sol), southern Spain, in the period 1992-2018 using C-band SAR interferometry. The area comprises several zones of interest where continuous deformation has happened during the analyzed period. Using SAR data from ESA’s ERS-1/2, Envisat, and Sentinel-1A/B satellites, and Multi-Temporal InSAR methods we detect and monitor subsidence in highly populated and industrial areas, airport, harbor, as well as local instabilities over a railway line and a highway. In a previous work, we reported a subsidence due to intensive use of groundwater in some populated towns in the period 1992-2009 with maximum line-of-sight (LOS) rates of the order of –11 mm/yr. In this contribution, we confirm the subsidence trend. Furthermore, we detect an increase in the deformation rates for the most recent period (2014-2018), suggesting that the overexploitation of the aquifers has not ceased.

Mapping landslide surface displacements with time series SAR interferometry by combining persistent and distributed scatterers: A case study of Jiaju landslide in Danba, China

InSAR technology provides a powerful tool to detect potentially unstable slopes across wide areas and to monitor surface displacements of a single landslide. However, conventional time series InSAR methods such as persistent scatterer interferometry (PSI) and small-baseline subset (SBAS) can rarely identify sufficient measurement points (MPs) in mountainous areas due to decorrelations caused by steep terrain and vegetation coverage. In this study, we developed a new InSAR approach, coherent scatterer InSAR (CSI), to map landslide surface displacements in the radar line-of-sight (LOS) direction by combining persistent scatterers (PS) and distributed scatterers (DS). The key ideas of CSI include the employment of the generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) test for the identification of statistically homogeneous pixels (SHPs) and the use of the phase linking algorithm to estimate optimal phase for each DS pixel. The joint exploitation of PS and DS targets dramatically increases the spatial density of MPs, which makes the phase unwrapping more reliable. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the CSI approach, we applied it to retrieve the historical displacements of the Jiaju landslide in Danba County of southwest China using 19 L-band ALOS PALSAR images (2006–2011) and nine C-band ENVISAT ASAR images (2007–2008). Multiple comparisons clearly illustrated the big advantages of CSI over PSI and SBAS in mapping landslide displacements with more details owing to much higher (>10 times) MP density. Furthermore, the superiority of L-band SAR data over C-band for landslide investigation in rural environments was confirmed. Quantitative validation of the CSI results for PALSAR data against in-situ GPS measurements suggested an accuracy of about 10.5millimeters per year (mm/year) in terms of root mean square error (RMSE). Afterwards, the spatial-temporal characteristics of the Jiaju landslide surface displacements were summarized, with a new upper boundary for the active northern part delineated. Particularly, the northern part of the landslide moved faster than the southern part, exhibiting a maximum LOS displacement rate of around 120mm/year. Subsequently, the fluvial erosion by the Dajinchuan River was identified as the predominant impact factor for the instability of the Jiaju landslide. Finally, the major problems and challenges for the application of CSI method were discussed, and the conclusions were given.

MULTI-BASELINE INSAR ELEVATION INVERSION METHOD BASED ON THREE-DIMENSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION MODEL

Abstract. The existing multi-baseline methods have some problems of low accuracy and intensive calculation. In order to solve the problems, a new multi-baseline InSAR elevation inversion method based on a rigorous geometric model instead of a simplified model is proposed in the letter. This method introduces the three-dimensional reconstruction model based on rigorous geometric model and the unknown full cycles of interferometric phase as a parameter to iteratively solve the 3-D coordinates of the target. With adopting the 3-D coordinate information of targets to connect different interferometric data, the new method obviously weakens the effects of system errors on solving the integer cycle and is more reliable than conventional multi-baseline InSAR methods. The experimental results show that the speed and accuracy of the new method are better than the existing methods.

Determination of The Water Catchment Area in Semarang City Using a Combination of Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) Classification, InSAR and Geographic Information System (GIS) Methods Based On a High-Resolution SPOT 6 Image and Radar Imagery

Semarang is the biggest city in central Java-Indonesia which has a rapid and massive infrastructure development nowadays. In order to control water resources and flood, the local goverment has been built east and west flood canal in Kaligarang and West Semarang River. One of main problem in Semarang city is the lack of fresh water in dry season because ground water is not rechargeable well. Rechargeable groundwater ability depends on underground water recharge rate and catchment area condition. The objective of the study is to determine condition and classification of water catchment area in Semarang city. The catchment area conditions will be determine by five parameters as follows soil type, land use, slope, ground water potential and rainfall intensity. In this study, we use three methods approach to solve the problem which is segmentation classification to acquire land use classification from high resolution imagery using nearest neighborhood algorithm, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to derive DTM from SAR Imagery and multi criteria weighting and spatial analysis using GIS method. There are three types optical image (ALOS PRISM, SPOT-6 and ALOS PALSAR) to calculate water catchment area condition in Semarang city. For final result, this research will divide the water catchment into six criteria as follows good, naturally normal, early critical, a little bit critical, critical and very critical condition. The result shows that water catchment area condition is in an early critical condition around 2607,523 Ha (33,17 %), naturally normal condition around 1507,674 Ha (19,18 %), a little bit critical condition around 1452,931 Ha (18,48 %), good with 1157,04 Ha (14,72 %), critical with 1058,639 Ha (13,47 %) and very critical with 75,0387 Ha (0,95 %). The distribution of water catchment area conditions in West and East Flood Canal have an irreguler pattern. In northern area of watershed consists of begin to critical, naturally normal and good condition. Meanwhile in southern area of watershed consists of a little bit critical, critical and very critical condition.

MULTI-TEMPORAL SAR INTERFEROMETRY FOR LANDSLIDE MONITORING

In the past few years, SAR Interferometry specially InSAR and D-InSAR were extensively used for deformation monitoring related applications. Due to temporal and spatial decorrelation in dense vegetated areas, effectiveness of InSAR and D-InSAR observations were always under scrutiny. Multi-temporal InSAR methods are developed in recent times to retrieve the deformation signal from pixels with different scattering characteristics. Presently, two classes of multi-temporal InSAR algorithms are available- Persistent Scatterer (PS) and Small Baseline (SB) methods. This paper discusses the Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterer (StaMPS) based PS-InSAR and the Small Baselines Subset (SBAS) techniques to estimate the surface deformation in Tehri dam reservoir region in Uttarkhand, India. Both PS-InSAR and SBAS approaches used sixteen ENVISAT ASAR C-Band images for generating single master and multiple master interferograms stack respectively and their StaMPS processing resulted in time series 1D-Line of Sight (LOS) mean velocity maps which are indicative of deformation in terms of movement towards and away from the satellites. From 1D LOS velocity maps, localization of landslide is evident along the reservoir rim area which was also investigated in the previous studies. Both PS-InSAR and SBAS effectively extract measurement pixels in the study region, and the general results provided by both approaches show a similar deformation pattern along the Tehri reservoir region. Further, we conclude that StaMPS based PS-InSAR method performs better in terms of extracting more number of measurement pixels and in the estimation of mean Line of Sight (LOS) velocity as compared to SBAS method. It is also proposed to take up a few major landslides area in Uttarakhand for slope stability assessment.

MULTI-TEMPORAL SAR INTERFEROMETRY FOR LANDSLIDE MONITORING

Abstract. In the past few years, SAR Interferometry specially InSAR and D-InSAR were extensively used for deformation monitoring related applications. Due to temporal and spatial decorrelation in dense vegetated areas, effectiveness of InSAR and D-InSAR observations were always under scrutiny. Multi-temporal InSAR methods are developed in recent times to retrieve the deformation signal from pixels with different scattering characteristics. Presently, two classes of multi-temporal InSAR algorithms are available- Persistent Scatterer (PS) and Small Baseline (SB) methods. This paper discusses the Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterer (StaMPS) based PS-InSAR and the Small Baselines Subset (SBAS) techniques to estimate the surface deformation in Tehri dam reservoir region in Uttarkhand, India. Both PS-InSAR and SBAS approaches used sixteen ENVISAT ASAR C-Band images for generating single master and multiple master interferograms stack respectively and their StaMPS processing resulted in time series 1D-Line of Sight (LOS) mean velocity maps which are indicative of deformation in terms of movement towards and away from the satellites. From 1D LOS velocity maps, localization of landslide is evident along the reservoir rim area which was also investigated in the previous studies. Both PS-InSAR and SBAS effectively extract measurement pixels in the study region, and the general results provided by both approaches show a similar deformation pattern along the Tehri reservoir region. Further, we conclude that StaMPS based PS-InSAR method performs better in terms of extracting more number of measurement pixels and in the estimation of mean Line of Sight (LOS) velocity as compared to SBAS method. It is also proposed to take up a few major landslides area in Uttarakhand for slope stability assessment.

Combined DEM Extration Method from StereoSAR and InSAR

Abstract. A pair of SAR images acquired from different positions can be used to generate digital elevation model (DEM). Two techniques exploiting this characteristic have been introduced: stereo SAR and interferometric SAR. They permit to recover the third dimension (topography) and, at the same time, to identify the absolute position (geolocation) of pixels included in the imaged area, thus allowing the generation of DEMs. In this paper, StereoSAR and InSAR combined adjustment model are constructed, and unify DEM extraction from InSAR and StereoSAR into the same coordinate system, and then improve three dimensional positioning accuracy of the target. We assume that there are four images 1, 2, 3 and 4. One pair of SAR images 1,2 meet the required conditions for InSAR technology, while the other pair of SAR images 3,4 can form stereo image pairs. The phase model is based on InSAR rigorous imaging geometric model. The master image 1 and the slave image 2 will be used in InSAR processing, but the slave image 2 is only used in the course of establishment, and the pixels of the slave image 2 are relevant to the corresponding pixels of the master image 1 through image coregistration coefficient, and it calculates the corresponding phase. It doesn’t require the slave image in the construction of the phase model. In Range-Doppler (RD) model, the range equation and Doppler equation are a function of target geolocation, while in the phase equation, the phase is also a function of target geolocation. We exploit combined adjustment model to deviation of target geolocation, thus the problem of target solution is changed to solve three unkonwns through seven equations. The model was tested for DEM extraction under spaceborne InSAR and StereoSAR data and compared with InSAR and StereoSAR methods respectively. The results showed that the model delivered a better performance on experimental imagery and can be used for DEM extraction applications.

HIGH TEMPORAL RESOLUTION PERMAFROST MONITORING USING A MULTIPLE STACK INSAR TECHNIQUE

Abstract. The combined effect of climate change and accelerated economic development in Northern regions increases the threat of permafrost related surface deformation to buildings and transportation infrastructure. Satellite based InSAR provides a means for monitoring infrastructure that may be both remote and spatially extensive. However, permafrost poses challenges for InSAR monitoring due to the complex temporal deformation patterns caused by both seasonal active layer fluctuations and long-term changes in permafrost thickness. These dynamics suggest a need for increasing the temporal resolution of multi-temporal InSAR methods. To address this issue we have developed a method that combines and jointly processes two or more same side geometry InSAR stacks to provide a high-temporal resolution estimate of surface deformation. The method allows for combining stacks from more than a single SAR sensor and for a combination of frequency bands. Data for this work have been collected and analysed for an area near the community of Umiujaq, Quebec in Northern Canada and include scenes from RADARSAT-2, TerraSAR-X and COSMO-SkyMed. Multiple stack based surface deformation estimates are compared for several cases including results from the three sensors individually and for all sensors combined. The test cases show substantially similar surface deformation results which correlate well with surficial geology. The best spatial coverage of coherent targets was achieved when data from all sensors were combined. The proposed multiple stack method is demonstrated to improve the estimation of surface deformation in permafrost affected areas and shows potential for deriving InSAR based permafrost classification maps to aid in the monitoring of Northern infrastructure.

Application of ALOS and Envisat Data in Improving Multi-Temporal InSAR Methods for Monitoring Damavand Volcano and Landslide Deformation in the Center of Alborz Mountains, North Iran

Abstract. InSAR capacity to detect slow deformation over terrain areas is limited by temporal and geometric decorrelations. Multitemporal InSAR techniques involving Persistent Scatterer (Ps-InSAR) and Small Baseline (SBAS) are recently developed to compensate the decorrelation problems. Geometric decorrelation in mountainous areas especially for Envisat images makes phase unwrapping process difficult. To improve this unwrapping problem, we first modified phase filtering to make the wrapped phase image as smooth as possible. In addition, in order to improve unwrapping results, a modified unwrapping method has been developed. This method includes removing possible orbital and tropospheric effects. Topographic correction is done within three-dimensional unwrapping, Orbital and tropospheric corrections are done after unwrapping process. To evaluate the effectiveness of our improved method we tested the proposed algorithm by Envisat and ALOS dataset and compared our results with recently developed PS software (StaMAPS). In addition we used GPS observations for evaluating the modified method. The results indicate that our method improves the estimated deformation significantly.