Abstract
Subsidence related to multiple natural and human-induced processes affects an increasing number of areas worldwide. Although this phenomenon may involve surface deformation with 3D displacement components, negative vertical movement, either progressive or episodic, tends to dominate. Over the last decades, differential SAR interferometry (DInSAR) has become a very useful remote sensing tool for accurately measuring the spatial and temporal evolution of surface displacements over broad areas. This work discusses the main advantages and limitations of addressing active subsidence phenomena by means of DInSAR techniques from an end-user point of view. Special attention is paid to the spatial and temporal resolution, the precision of the measurements, and the usefulness of the data. The presented analysis is focused on DInSAR results exploitation of various ground subsidence phenomena (groundwater withdrawal, soil compaction, mining subsidence, evaporite dissolution subsidence, and volcanic deformation) with different displacement patterns in a selection of subsidence areas in Spain. Finally, a cost comparative study is performed for the different techniques applied.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank O. Monserrat and M. Crosetto (Institut de Geomàtica) for their useful comments and the review of first version of the manuscript. The ERS and ENVISAT images mentioned in this work were provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) in the framework of the EO Cat.1-2494 and Cat.1-3462 projects and the Terrafirma GMES Project. The TerraSAR-X images were provided by DLR in the framework of the scientific project GEO0389. The different research areas included in this paper has been supported by the projects: CGL2005-05500-C02, CGL2008-06426-C01-01/BTE, AYA2010-17448, IPT-2011-1234-310000, TEC-2008-06764, ACOMP/2010/082, AGL2009-08931/AGR, 2012GA-LC-036, 2003-03-4.3-I-014, CGL2006-05415, BEST-2011/225, CGL2010-16775, TEC2011-28201, 2012GA-LC-021 and the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship to PJG. This research is a contribution of the Moncloa Campus of International Excellence (UCM-UPM, CSIC).
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Tomás, R., Romero, R., Mulas, J. et al. Radar interferometry techniques for the study of ground subsidence phenomena: a review of practical issues through cases in Spain. Environ Earth Sci 71, 163–181 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2422-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2422-z