Monitoring elevation change of glaciers on Geladandong Mountain using Tan DEM-X SAR interferometry

Glaciers play an important role in the climate system. The elevation change of a glacier is an important parameter in studies of glacier dynamics. Only a few ground-based measurements of high mountain glaciers are available due to their remoteness, high elevation, and complex topography. The acquisition from the German Tan DEM-X(Terra SAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) SAR imaging configuration provides a reliable data sources for studying the elevation change of glaciers. In this study, the bistatic Tan DEM-X data that cover the Geladandong Mountain on the Tibetan Plateau were processed with SAR interferometry technique and the elevation changes of the mountain's glaciers during 2000–2014 were obtained. The results indicated that although distinct positive and negative elevation changes were found for different glacier tongues, the mean elevation change was about-0.14±0.26 m a-1. Geoscience Laser Altimeter System(GLAS) data were obtained for comparison and verification. The investigation using GLAS data demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed method in determining glacier elevation change. Thus, the presented approach is appropriate for monitoring glacier elevation change and it constitutes a valuable tool for studies of glacier dynamics.

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

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 to①perform a feasibility test of precise 3D deformation retrieval in large and complex deformation areas through the integration of offset-based unwrapped and improved multiple-aperture SAR interferograms and②observe 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(ALOS-2)Phased Array-type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2(PALSAR-2)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.

A Comparative Study of Ionospheric Correction on SAR Interferometry—A Case Study of L’Aquila Earthquake

Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry(InSAR)has shown its potential on seismic deformation monitoring since it can achieve the accuracy of centimeter level or even the millimeter level.However,the irregular varieties of ionosphere can induce the additional phase delay on SAR interferometry,restricting its further application in high-precision deformation monitoring.Although several methods have been proposed to correct the ionospheric phase delay on SAR interferometry,the performances of them haven't been evaluated and compared.In this study,three commonly used methods,including polynomial fitting,azimuth offset and split-spectrum are applied to L'Aquila Earthquake to correct the ionospheric phase delay on two Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar(PALSAR)onboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-1(ALOS-1)images.The result indicates that these three methods can effectively correct the ionospheric phase delay error for SAR interferometry,where the standard deviations of the ionosphere-corrected results have decreased by almost a factor of 1.8 times for polynomial fitting method,4.2 times for azimuth offset method and 2.5 times for split-spectrum method,compared to those of the original phase.Furthermore,the result of the sliding distribution inversion of the seismic fault shows the best performance for split-spectrum method.

ADAPTIVE MODEL-BASED SCATTERING DECOMPOSITION OF POLARIMETRIC SAR INTERFEROMETRY

In this paper,a new decomposition method is proposed to solve the problems that vegetation component is overestimated and is not sensitive to directional scattering features with traditional polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR)decomposition.It uses a Polarimetric Interferometric Similarity Parameter(PISP)calculated from Polarimetric SAR Interferometry(PolInSAR)datasets to the scattering decomposition.The PISP is proposed to reveal the geometric sensitivity of SAR interferometry.It is defined by three optimized mechanisms obtained from PolInSAR datasets,therefore,it not only relates to the coherent scattering mechanism closely,but also sufficiently uses the phase and amplitude information.The PISP of building is high,and forest’s PISP is low.The proposed method uses the PISP as a judge condition to select different vegetation model adaptively.The decomposition results show the proposed method can effectively solve the vegetation ingredients overestimation problem.In addition,it is sensitive to the directional scattering.

Monitoring Landslide-Induced Displacements with TerraSAR-X Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI): Gimigliano Case Study in Calabria Region (Italy)

This work provides a detailed detection of landslide-induced displacements at local scale on Gimigliano site (Italy), by means of PSI (Persistent Scatterers Interferometry) analysis, exploiting TerraSAR-X data acquired in November 2010-October 2011. In February-March 2010, several landslides affected Gimigliano, following high-intensity precipitation, and causing damages to structures and roads. In order to assess any spatial and temporal patterns of deformation, the present X-band PS data were compared with historical motion rates derived from ERS1/2 and ENVISAT satellites, and with geological and geomorphological evidences resulting from auxiliary data such as landslide databases and orthophotos referred to different dates, finally validated with recent field checks. The PSI analysis of the historical ground motion rates highlighted that the modern built-up area located downhill was already affected by surface ground deformation since 1993. A significant enlargement of the instability phenomena is detected across time. The recent PS data analysis and the in situ observations permitted us to accurately update the ground movements in the investigated site: their evidence allowed assessing a reactivation of the large deep-seated landslide zone on which the new urbanized area had built-up, with an average deformation rate of about 8 - 9 mm/yr. The higher instability phenomenon is affecting the eastern part of Gimigliano old village, with a mean displacement velocity reaching up values of -30 mm/yr, in the radar temporal acquisition of only 10 months. These outcomes can be taken into account for further hazard-reduction analysis and to support risk mitigation design within the investigated area.

Deriving glacier border information based on analysis of decorrelation in SAR interferometry

Variations of glaciers are important parameters for monitoring glacial change. Although optical remote sensing method can extract variations of glaciers effectively and accurately in cloudless regions, these variations are difficult to extract in cloudy conditions and bad weather. In this paper, a new method is presented, based on the decorrelation of repeat SAR interferometry, to extract the variations of glaciers. This method uses the decorrelation of the inland glacier＇s surface to extract the variation of glacier by comparing the coherence of the glacier and land cover in threshold values. For validation of this method, we compared classification results with that derived from TM images. An accuracy of better than 89% can be achieved if we consider the classification result from TM image as the ground truth. Results show that this method provides an effective way to identify icy areas from the coherent image.

DENOISING METHODS IN INTERFEROMETRIC SAR IMAGES PROCESSING

Thermal and “Speckle” noise is an obstacle to generate the digital elevation model(DEM) from interferogram by 2 D SAR images. According to the theory of interferometry, the main sources of noise in interferogram are discussed. On the basis of the character of noise in the interferogram, the low pass filter, median filter and wavelet transform are investigated. Wavelet transform is forwarded as the most effective method to eliminate the InSAR noise because it can keep the resolution of the images during eliminating the noise. The raw data verify the validity and effectiveness of wavelet transform.

Monitoring Crustal Deformations with Radar Interferometry: A Review

The crustal movements, probably motivating earthquakes, are considered as one of the main geodynamic sources. The quantitative measurements of ground surface deformations are vital for studying mechanisms of the buried faults or even estimating earthquake potential. A new space-geodetic technology, synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR), can be applied to detect such large-area deformations, and has demonstrated some prominent advantages. This paper reviews the capacity and limitations of InSAR, and summarises the existing applications including some of our results in studying the earthquake-related crustal motions. Finally it gives the outlook for the future development of InSAR.

Bam earthquake: Surface deformation measurement using radar interferometry

On the 26th December 2003 an earthquake with MW=6.5 shook a large area of the Kerman Province in Iran. The epicenter of the devastating earthquake was located near the city of Bam. This paper described the application of differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry (D-INSAR) and ENVISAT ASAR data to map the coseismic surface deformation caused by the Bam earthquake including the interferometric data processing and results in detail. Based on the difference in the coherence images before and after the event and edge search of the deforma- tion field, a new fault ruptured on the surface was detected and used as a data source for parameter extraction of a theoretical seismic modeling. The simulated deformation field from the model perfectly coincides with the result derived from the SAR interferometric measurement.

双站与重轨InSAR数据融合获取DEM的方法

多样性InSAR数据融合是弥补单基线InSAR生成DEM所存在不足的重要手段。鉴于以往的融合研究大多基于相同InSAR系统构型与工作模式的同源数据,文章提出一种双站与重轨InSAR异源数据融合获取DEM的方法和处理流程,重点研究了融合区域识别、重轨干涉大气校正等关键问题。为验证方法的有效性,使用一对天绘二号双站干涉数据结合多个异源重轨干涉数据进行融合,开展获取DEM实验,并采用GNSS实测数据和WorldDEM对DEM精度进行了验证。结果表明,融合后的DEM解缠错误及叠掩、阴影导致的无效点数明显减少,融合后的DEM相比单基线天绘二号干涉生成的DEM高程精度提高了11.6%。

基于TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X数据的森林高度反演算法研究

基于RVoG模型,对传统三阶段算法及其改进算法进行研究,以云南省西双版纳州勐腊县为研究区,以TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X数据为数据源进行森林高度反演算法研究,并结合野外实测数据进行结果验证。结果表明,三阶段改进算法对森林高度反演精度优于传统三阶段算法。三阶段改进算法对天然林高度反演精度较高;三阶段算法对橡胶林高度反演精度较高。

L波段差分干涉SAR卫星影像射频干扰分析与流程化抑制方法

陆地探测一号(简称“陆探一号”,LT-1)是中国首个以陆地SAR干涉测量为核心任务的L波段差分干涉合成孔径雷达卫星,通过双星绕飞、跟飞两种工作模式,利用差分干涉形变测量和干涉测高的技术,能够全天时、全天候实现高精度地表形变监测、地形测绘等任务。LT-1卫星运行于无线电业务分配比较密集的L波段,在部分地区面临着严重的同频射频干扰影响。射频干扰会导致干涉影像质量退化、相位失真以及相干性下降,进而直接影响形变场产品反演精度,造成对地遥感观测科学数据的浪费。为了降低射频干扰的不利影响,本文系统地分析了LT-1卫星影像中的射频干扰特性,提出了针对LT-1单视复数影像的业务化、批量化射频干扰检测和抑制方法。通过大批量实测卫星影像数据验证,本文方法能够高效地抑制影像中的射频干扰,恢复提升干涉影像对的相干系数。本文方法已经成功应用于自然资源部陆探一号地面处理系统中,为卫星影像业务化形变场产品生产提供支撑保障。

基于改进SBAS-InSAR技术的西南山区铁路沿线地表形变监测方法研究

合成孔径雷达干涉测量技术(Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, InSAR)是一种新兴的对地观测手段,因其不受昼夜、云雨限制,被广泛应用于地表形变监测等领域。然而,受大气误差与失相干影响,InSAR技术仍然存在一些局限,尤其在植被茂密的西南山区,以SBAS-InSAR为代表的时间序列InSAR方法存在观测点不足的问题,难以开展山区变形监测。针对以上问题,考虑西南山区气候特征,设计改进的SBAS-InSAR时间序列处理方法,对干涉相位进行优化。丽香铁路是我国云南省境内一条连接丽江市与迪庆藏族自治州香格里拉的电气化铁路,是西部铁路网中滇藏铁路的重要组成部分。为保障丽香铁路安全稳定,同时验证上述方法的可用性,以丽香铁路段沿线的某段为研究区,利用星载SAR卫星存档影像数据对其周边地表开展历史形变探测,计算研究区近6.5年(2015年05月16日至2021年12月10日)的历史形变时间序列,并分析其影响范围、形变因素、变化规律等信息。最后将提出的改进后的SBAS-InSAR方法与常规InSAR方法比较,充分证明了所提出方法的优越性。

DEM精度在DInSAR监测采空区沉降中的影响

针对不同精度DEM对DIn SAR监测采空区缓慢沉降的影响问题,通过应用三维激光扫描仪、地形图、高相干性Terra SAR影像来获取DEM,分析对比了获取的4种DEM在沟壑斜坡区域的精度,及其参与的"二轨差分"在斜坡区域的形变监测值。结果表明,通过三维激光扫描仪、地形图获取的DEM参与DIn SAR的监测结果对微小形变监测更精确,由Terra SAR影像获取DEM参与的监测结果可靠性较低,应用高精度DEM重采样的SRTM DEM参与的"二轨差分"结果减小。

利用DEM进行多山地区星载SAR影像的正射校正

较为平坦地区的原始SAR影像简单采用二维变换函数(如多项式)即能满足精度要求,但在多山地区星载SAR影像的主要几何误差是由于地面高差引起的像点位移,用简单的多项式无法改正这项误差。以西藏墨托实验区为例,选取一定数量的控制点对,利用已有的数字高程模型(DEM)进行三维构像建立SAR影像的模拟影像,再利用模拟的SAR影像对原始的SAR图像进行正射校正。处理试验表明,利用DEM正射校正后的影像与地形图的匹配程度,比仅采用多项式选取地面控制点(GCP)进行校正的匹配程度有明显改善。

POS与DEM辅助机载SAR多普勒参数估计

由于机载SAR多普勒参数受载机不稳定飞行和复杂地形影响明显,目前仍缺少有效的矢量估计法。本文对POS和DEM数据及其误差对机载多普勒参数的影响进行了分析,以距离-共面方程构建的SAR几何关系为基础,在POS和DEM数据支持下,建立了一种多普勒参数矢量估计法,并通过仿真对提出的方法进行了验证和分析。理论和仿真表明,本文方法在高山地形、不稳飞行及大斜视角等复杂条件下,亦能够为机载SAR瞬时多普勒中心提供高精度估计。

一种改进的基于DEM的机载重轨干涉SAR运动补偿算法

该文研究了基于DEM(Digital Elevation Model)的高精度重轨干涉SAR运动补偿算法。分析了平地假设及波束中心近似造成的残余运动误差的影响,表明对重轨干涉SAR系统进行基于DEM的高精度运动补偿的必要性。分析了对外部DEM数据精度要求,指出利用低精度DEM数据进行精确运动补偿获取高精度DEM数据的可行性。针对现有基于DEM运动补偿算法的不足提出改进算法。该算法根据载机轨迹偏移和地形起伏自动调节参数,可实现精确且高效的运动补偿。对X波段重轨干涉SAR数据进行运动补偿处理,验证了该算法的有效性及其在精度和效率两方面相比于现有算法的优势。

基于圆迹干涉SAR的DEM提取

圆迹干涉SAR具有对场景目标进行全方位观测测量的优势,为了满足高分辨率圆迹SAR成像对高精度的场景数字高程模型(Digital Elevation Model,DEM)的需求,该文提出了一种基于圆迹干涉SAR数据的高程估计方法。首先推导了采用后向投影(Back Projection,BP)算法时的圆迹干涉SAR信号模型,然后给出了基于圆迹干涉SAR处理的场景DEM提取流程,最后通过仿真实验验证了所提方法的有效性。

基于DEM的SAR图像洪水水体的提取

星载雷达遥感已广泛应用于洪水灾害的监测和评估中。但是由于其阴影与水体严重混淆 ,使得从雷达图像中提取洪水水体较为困难。为此 ,本文探讨了在地形数据的支持下 ,实现星载SAR图像洪水水体半自动提取的方法。主要包括以下几步 :首先 ,对雷达图像进行滤波处理 ,并将其与地形数据匹配 ,从雷达图像中提取出初步的洪水水体范围 ;其次 ,利用地形数据生成DEM ,并根据雷达图像的成像参数和DEM生成相应的模拟雷达图像 ;最后 ,利用模拟雷达图像上的阴影 ,剔除被误提为洪水水体的阴影 ,从而实现洪水水体的准确提取。研究表明 ,该方法能有效地、半自动地将星载雷达图像上的洪水水体提取出来 ;同时 ,该方法可以用于多种星载多模式的雷达图像的洪水水体的识别提取 ,尤其对含山区的大范围洪水水体的半自动提取 ,更为适用。

TanDEM-X双站SAR干涉测量及研究进展

较全面、系统地介绍了Tan DEM-X/Terra SAR-X双站SAR科学计划,重点涉及其科学目标、Tan DEM-X卫星参数、轨道结构以及干涉数据获取模式等相关内容,并讨论了双站SAR成像、极化In SAR和数字波束成形等干涉测量新技术及其研究进展。这些双站SAR新技术的实现将大大地推动SAR干涉测量在全球地形测绘、冰川学、海洋学及地质学等领域中的应用。