Inferring the Creep Settlement Behavior of Rockfill in Reclaimed Lands by Advanced SAR Interferometry and Numerical Modeling: An Example from Arabian Gulf

Abstract

Satellite Advanced Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (A-DInSAR) is becaming a key-technique for monitoring ground deformations. The potential of A-DInSAR for settlement monitoring is exploited in this paper through the investigation of a reclaimed land in Dubai (UAE). Time histories of displacements were obtained from COSMO-SkyMed satellite images over the period between 2011 to 2016, allowing to derive the long-term deformation of the entire artificial island. Special attention was paid on long-term settlement of the hydraulically-placed rockfill of the peripheral rubble-mound revetments. The A-DInSAR results have been compared with results derived from numerical analyses and with field surveys, proving the relation between observed and modeled displacements. The study has also revealed that rockfill long-term settlement (creep) rate is significantly dependent on the aging (time since placement). In the analyzed time-frame (2011–2016) it has been observed that recently placed rockfill experienced creep rate up to ten times higher than the creep rate measured for similar rockfill structures placed 30 years earlier. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that static compression by preloading and dynamic or impact densification induced by wave forces proved to have also a significant impact on reducing the creep rate of the rockfill.

Tracking Deformation Processes at the Legnica Glogow Copper District (Poland) by Satellite InSAR—I: Room and Pillar Mine District

“…On the other hand, the Advanced Differential SAR Interferometry (A-DInSAR) approach consists of the combination of information from a large number of SAR images, allowing us to derive the temporal evolution of displacements of objects on the ground during the investigated period. Successful applications to settlement/subsidence-related issues have been carried-out through an A-DInSAR approach in the last few years [3,13,14,29,47,48].…”

“…This technique is very effective for structural health monitoring purposes involving structures like dams (e.g., [9][10][11] and Cultural Heritage degradation (e.g., [12])). Specifically, Advanced Differential SAR Interferometry (A-DInSAR) can provide information about the ongoing and past deformations with millimeter accuracy and can be used for many different applications in the field of engineering geology, e.g., subsidence and settlements [13,14], landslides (e.g., [15,16]), glaciers, and dynamics of permafrost [17,18].…”