Bridging Loss-of-Lock in InSAR Time Series of Distributed Scatterers

Abstract

We introduce the term loss-of-lock to describe a specific form of coherence loss which results in the breakage of an InSAR time series. Loss-of-lock creates a specific pattern in the coherence matrix of a multilooked distributed scatterer (DS) by which it may be detected. Along with identification, we introduce a new DS processing methodology which is designed to mitigate the effects of loss-of-lock by introducing contextual data to assist in the time series processing. This methodology is of particular relevance to regions which suffer from severe temporal decorrelation, such as northern peatlands. We apply our new method to two subsiding cultivated peatland regions in The Netherlands which previously proved impossible to monitor using DS InSAR techniques. Our results show a very good agreement with in-situ validation data as well as spatial correlation between regions and the natural terrain.