Mapping and monitoring geomorphological processes in mountainous areas using PSI data: Central Pyrenees case study

Abstract. In this paper the Stable Point Network technique, an established Persistent Scatterer InSAR (PSI) technique, (SPN), has been applied for the first time to the analysis of several geomorphological processes present in the Gallego river basin (Central Pyrenees, Spain). The SPN coherence based approach has been used to process three different SAR images datasets covering two temporal periods: 1995 to 2001 and 2001 to 2007. This approach has permitted the detection of more than 40 000 natural ground targets or Persistent Scatterers (PSs) in the study area, characterised by the presence of vegetation and a low urban density. Derived displacement maps have permitted the detection and monitoring of deformations in landslides, alluvial fans and erosive areas. In the first section, the study area is introduced. Then the specifics of the SPN processing are presented. The deformation results estimated with the SPN technique for the different processed datasets are compared and analysed with previous available geo-information. Then several detailed studies are presented to illustrate the processes detected by the satellite based analysis. In addition, a comparison between the performance of ERS and ENVISAT satellites with terrestrial SAR has demonstrates that these are complementary techniques, which can be integrated in order to monitor deformation processes, like landslides, that over the same monitoring area may show very different ranges of movement. The most relevant conclusions of this work are finally discussed.

[1]  J. Bathurst,et al.  Debris flow characteristics and relationships in the Central Spanish Pyrenees , 2003 .

[2]  R. Hanssen,et al.  ASAR ERS interferometric phase continuity , 2003, IGARSS 2003. 2003 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Proceedings (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37477).

[3]  R. Soeters,et al.  Slope instability recognition, analysis, and zonation , 1996 .

[4]  Urs Wegmüller,et al.  MONITORING OF LUMNEZ LANDSLIDE WITH ERS AND ENVISAT SAR DATA , 2007 .

[5]  H. Zebker,et al.  A new method for measuring deformation on volcanoes and other natural terrains using InSAR persistent scatterers , 2004 .

[6]  M. Pastor,et al.  A landslide forecasting model using ground based SAR data: The Portalet case study , 2009 .

[7]  Giorgio Franceschetti,et al.  Use of differential SAR interferometry in monitoring and modelling large slope instability at Maratea (Basilicata, Italy) , 2003 .

[8]  Luke Bateson,et al.  Validation and intercomparison of Persistent Scatterers Interferometry: PSIC4 project results , 2009 .

[9]  Antonio Pepe,et al.  On the generation of ERS/ENVISAT DInSAR time-series via the SBAS technique , 2005, IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters.

[10]  E. Nadal‐Romero,et al.  Badland dynamics in the Central Pyrenees: temporal and spatial patterns of weathering processes , 2007 .

[11]  W. Bull.  Threshold of critical power in streams , 1979 .

[12]  Jordi J. Mallorquí,et al.  Linear and nonlinear terrain deformation maps from a reduced set of interferometric SAR images , 2003, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[13]  Francesco Zucca,et al.  Ground deformation monitoring by using the Permanent Scatterers Technique: The example of the Oltrepo Pavese (Lombardia, Italy) , 2006 .

[14]  N. Casagli,et al.  Space‐borne and ground‐based SAR interferometry as tools for landslide hazard management in civil protection , 2006 .

[15]  Fabio Rocca,et al.  Dynamics of Slow-Moving Landslides from Permanent Scatterer Analysis , 2004, Science.

[16]  J. García‐Ruiz,et al.  Surface sediment characteristics and present dynamics in alluvial fans of the central Spanish Pyrenees , 2000 .

[17]  J. García‐Ruiz,et al.  LAND-USE CHANGES IN THE SPANISH PYRENEES , 1990 .

[18]  Fabio Rocca,et al.  Permanent scatterers in SAR interferometry , 2001, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[19]  F. Catani,et al.  On the application of SAR interferometry to geomorphological studies: estimation of landform attributes and mass movements , 2005 .

[20]  M. Crosetto,et al.  Generation of Advanced ERS and Envisat Interferometric SAR Products Using the Stable Point Network Technique , 2008 .

[21]  C. Werner,et al.  Survey and monitoring of landslide displacements by means of L-band satellite SAR interferometry , 2005 .

[22]  Fabio Rocca,et al.  Monitoring landslides and tectonic motions with the Permanent Scatterers Technique , 2003 .

[23]  P. Aleotti,et al.  Landslide hazard assessment: summary review and new perspectives , 1999 .

[24]  S. Moretti,et al.  Permanent Scatterers for landslide investigations: outcomes from the ESA-SLAM project , 2006 .

[25]  C. Werner,et al.  Interferometric point target analysis for deformation mapping , 2003, IGARSS 2003. 2003 IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Proceedings (IEEE Cat. No.03CH37477).

[26]  Jordi Inglada,et al.  High Resolution Differential Interferometry using Time Series of ERS and Envisat SAR Data , 2004 .

[27]  Bernd Scheuchl,et al.  Monitoring very slow slope movements by means of SAR interferometry: A case study from a mass waste above a reservoir in the Ötztal Alps, Austria , 1999 .

[28]  J. Latron,et al.  Temporal distribution of suspended sediment transport in a humid Mediterranean badland area: The Araguás catchment, Central Pyrenees , 2008 .

[29]  Didier Massonnet,et al.  Two examples of the use of SAR interferometry on displacement fields of small spatial extent , 1996 .