Improved target illumination at Ludvika mines of Sweden through seismic-interferometric surface-wave suppression

In mineral exploration, new methods to improve the delineation of ore deposits at depth are in demand. For this purpose, increasing the signal-to-noise ratio through suitable data processing is an important requirement. Seismic reflection methods have proven to be useful to image mineral deposits. However, in most hard rock environments, surface waves constitute the most undesirable source-generated or ambient noise in the data that, especially given their typical broadband nature, often mask the events of interest like body-wave reflections and diffractions. In this study, we show the efficacy of a two-step procedure to suppress surface waves in an active-source reflection seismic dataset acquired in the Ludvika mining area of Sweden. First, we use seismic interferometry to estimate the surface-wave energy between receivers, given that they are the most energetic arrivals in the dataset. Second, we adaptively subtract the retrieved surface waves from the original shot gathers, checking the quality of the unveiled reflections. We see that several reflections, judged to be from the mineralization zone, are enhanced and better visualized after this two-step procedure. Our comparison with results from frequency-wavenumber filtering verifies the effectiveness of our scheme, since the presence of linear artefacts is reduced. The results are encouraging, as they open up new possibilities for denoising hard rock seismic data and, in particular, for imaging of deep mineral deposits using seismic reflections. This approach is purely data driven and does not require significant judgment on the dip and frequency content of present surface waves, which often vary from place to place.     

Evaluation of polarimetric capabilities of dual polarized Sentinel-1 and TerraSAR-X data to improve the PSInSAR algorithm using amplitude dispersion index optimization

Polarimetric data is an additional source of information in PSI technique to improve its performance in land subsidence estimation. The combination of polarimetric data and radar interferometry can lead to an increase in coherence and the number of PS pixels. In this paper, we evaluated and compared the dual polarized Sentinel-1A (S1A) and TerraSAR-X (TSX) data to improve the PSInSAR algorithm. The improvement of this research is based on minimizing Amplitude Dispersion Index (ADI) by finding the optimum scattering mechanism to increase the number of PSC and PS pixels. The proposed method was tested using a dataset of 40 dual-pol SAR data (VV/VH) acquired by S1A and 20 dual-pol SAR data (HH/VV) acquired by TSX. The results revealed that using the TSX data, the number of PS pixels increased about 3 times in ESPO method than using the conventional channels, e.g., HH, and VV. This increase in S1A data was about 1.7 times in ESPO method. In addition, we investigated the efficiency of the three polarimetric optimization methods i.e. ESPO, BGSM, and Best for the dual polarized S1A and TSX data. Results showed that the PS density increased about 1.9 times in BGSM and about 1.5 times in Best method in TSX data. However, in S1A data, PS density increased about 1.1 times in BGSM. The Best method was not successful in increasing the PS density using the S1A data. Also, the effectiveness of the method was evaluated in urban and non-urban regions. The experimental results showed that the method was successful in significantly increasing the number of final PS pixels in both regions.     

Using Sentinel-1A DInSAR interferometry and Landsat 8 data for monitoring water level changes in two lakes in Crete,Greece

Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) methodology has been successfully employed to detect water level changes and produce corresponding water level variation maps. In this study, Agia and Kournas lakes, located in Western Crete, Greece, were used as pilot areas to monitor water level change with means of SAR interferometry and auxiliary Earth Observation (EO) data. The water level variation was monitored for the period 2015–2016, using Sentinel-1A imageries and corresponding stage water level data. Landsat 8 data were additionally used to study vegetation regime and surface water extent and how these parameters affect interferograms performance. The results highlighted the fact that the combination of SAR backscattering intensity and unwrapped phase can provide additional insight into hydrological studies. The overall analysis of both interferometric characteristics and backscattering mechanism denoted their potential in enhancing the reliability of the water-level retrieval scheme and optimizing the capture of hydrological patterns spatial distribution.     

Strategies for spatial and temporal extrapolation and interpolation of wet delay

. The excess radio-path delay due to the atmospheric water vapor, the wet delay, can be derived from water vapor radiometer (WVR) measurements. WVR data used for external calibration of space geodetic measurements are not always acquired in the directions of the space geodetic signal sources, thus extrapolation and interpolation methods for the wet delay are needed. We evaluate three different methods using approximately 10 days of WVR measurements. Two methods, the gradient method and turbulence method, use the directional information in the data, while the third method used is linear regression in time regardless of the direction of the observations. The turbulence method yielded at least 10% less RMS estimation error than the errors from the other two methods. Received: 20 May 1997 / Accepted: 15 December 1997     

Mexico City subsidence observed with persistent scatterer InSAR

We analyzed 23 satellite SAR (synthetic aperture radar) scenes using Persistent Scatter Interferometry (PSI) to study subsidence in Mexico City associated with groundwater withdrawal. The data were acquired by the Envisat ASAR system between January 2004 and July 2006. The spatial pattern of subsidence and the maximum subsidence rate (300 mm/year) are similar to earlier studies. Comparison to independent GPS data indicates RMS agreement between the two techniques of 6.9 mm/year, about the level expected based on joint data uncertainty. Significant annual variation in the GPS vertical data is not observed, suggesting minimal aquifer recharge during the rainy season, and justifying a simple linear model of phase variation through time for the PSI analysis.     

InSAR技术在矿区沉降监测中的应用研究

介绍了应用InSAR技术监测矿区地表沉降以及地下开采活动的原理;利用重轨差分InSAR技术获得了峰峰矿区地表ENVISAT和JERS 1的雷达形变干涉相位图;分析了在矿区地表沉降过程中ENVISATC波段和JERS 1 L波段形变干涉相位图的相干特性、相位特性以及干涉测量技术在矿区地表沉降监测中应用的可行性和局限性。实验结果表明,利用C波段和L波段雷达数据可以实施对矿区地表沉降的监测,但是C波段雷达受到空间干涉基线的限制更加严格,如果要实现对矿区地表沉降的监测,需要充分利用每个卫星回访时期的雷达数据,建立长时序的星载雷达形变干涉相位图序列,才能较好地实现矿区地表沉降监测。     

Ground deformation associated with post-mining activity at the French–German border revealed by novel InSAR time series method

We present a novel methodology for integration of multiple InSAR data sets for computation of two dimensional time series of ground deformation. The proposed approach allows combination of SAR data acquired with different acquisition parameters, temporal and spatial sampling and resolution, wavelength and polarization. Produced time series have combined coverage, improved temporal resolution and lower noise level. We apply this methodology for mapping coal mining related ground subsidence and uplift in the Greater Region of Luxembourg along the French–German border. For this we processed 167 Synthetic Aperture Radar ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT images acquired between 1995 and 2009 from one ascending (track 29) and one descending (track 337) tracks and created over five hundred interferograms that were used for time series analysis. Derived vertical and east–west linear deformation rates show with remarkable precision a region of localized ground deformation located above and caused by mining and post-mining activities. Time series of ground deformation display temporal variability: reversal from subsidence to uplift and acceleration of subsidence in the vertical component, and horizontal motion toward the center of the subsidence on the east–west component. InSAR results are validated by leveling measurements collected by the French Geological Survey (BRGM) during 2006–2008. We determined that deformation rate changes are mainly caused by water level variations in the mines. Due to higher temporal and spatial resolution the proposed space-borne method detected a larger number of subsidence and uplift areas in comparison to leveling measurements restricted to annual monitoring of benchmark points along roads. We also identified one deformation region that is not precisely located above the mining sites. Comparison of InSAR measurements with the water levels measured in the mining pits suggest that part of the water that filled the galleries after termination of the dewatering systems may come from this region. Providing that enough SAR data is available, this method opens new opportunities for detecting and locating man-made and natural ground deformation signals with high temporal resolution and precision.     

The International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS): current capabilities and future prospects

Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) plays a unique and fundamental role in the maintenance of the global (terrestrial and celestial) reference frames, which are required for precise positioning in many research areas such as the understanding and monitoring of global changes, and for space missions. The International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS) coordinates the global VLBI components and resources on an international basis. The service is tasked by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) and International Astronomical Union (IAU) to provide products for the realization of the Celestial Reference Frame (CRF) through the positions of quasars, to deliver products for the maintenance of the terrestrial reference frame (TRF), such as station positions and their changes with time, and to generate products describing the rotation and orientation of the Earth. In particular, VLBI uniquely provides direct observations of nutation parameters and of the time difference UT1-UTC. This paper summarizes the evolution and current status of the IVS. It points out the activities to improve further on the product quality to meet future service requirements.     

Investigating landslides with space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry

This paper is addressed to readers without advanced knowledge of remote sensing. It illustrates some current and potential uses of satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry (InSAR) for landslide assessment. Data acquired by SAR systems can provide 3D terrain models and be used to assist in regional scale investigations, e.g. aimed at evaluation of susceptibility of slopes to failure. Under favourable environmental conditions, the innovative Permanent Scatterers (PS) technique, which overcomes several limitations of conventional SAR differential interferometry (DInSAR) applications in landslide studies, is suitable for monitoring slope deformations with millimetric precision. The PS technique combines the wide-area coverage typical of satellite imagery with the capability of providing displacement data relative to individual image pixels. With the currently available radar satellites, however, only very slow ground surface displacements can be reliably detected and measured. The presented case study of a landslide from the Liechtenstein Alps indicates that the most attractive and reliable contribution provided by this remote sensing technique lies in the possibility of (i.) wide-area qualitative distinction between stable and unstable areas and (ii.) qualitative (relative) hazard zonation of large, slow landslides based on the identification of segments characterised by different movement rates. Since only the radar line of sight projection of the displacements can be detected, a quantitative exploitation of the PS data is possible only where sufficient ground truth is available. In site specific or single landslide investigations the PS data can represent a very useful complementary data source with respect to the information acquired through ground based observations and in situ surveying. However, the difficulties associated with the feasibility assessments of the applicability of SAR data to local scale problems, as well as with the interpretation of PS results, require a close collaboration between landslide experts and specialists in advanced processing of radar satellite data. The interpretation of the exact geotechnical significance of small, radar sensed ground surface deformations is challenging, especially where ground truth is lacking. Although any ground deformation is potentially of interest to an engineering geologist, detection of movements in both vertical and horizontal directions is needed in the case of landslides to evaluate slope failure mechanisms. With their high radar viewing angles, however, the current space-borne systems can detect only a fraction of the horizontal component of movement. It is expected that the upcoming SAR dedicated missions with new sensors and different acquisition geometries, combined with the rapid developments in the field of advanced radar data processing, will allow a full 3D reconstruction of deformation data and help to further reduce the current limitations of the PS and similar DInSAR approaches.     

星载合成孔径雷达差分干涉测量(D-InSAR)技术在形变监测中的应用概述

本文综述了地球表面形变的主要类型(包括开采沉陷、地表沉降、地壳运动、地震形变、火山运动、冰川运动及山体滑坡等)及其在我国的分布状况，结合合成孔径雷达干涉测量(包括InSAR及D-InSAR，统称InSAR技术)的技术原理及特点，介绍了国内外InSAR技术近年来在形变监测领域的应用与发展。通过与传统形变监测及GPS监测技术的对比后指出，由于InSAR特有的技术特点，使其在各类形变监测应用中具有传统方法无可比拟的技术优势，必将对形变监测的发展起到极大的推动作用。