InSAR-Based Early Warning Monitoring Framework to Assess Aquifer Deterioration

Abstract

Aquifer surveillance is key to understanding the dynamics of groundwater reservoirs. Attention should be focused on developing strategies to monitor and mitigate the adverse consequences of overexploitation. In this context, ground surface deformation monitoring allows us to estimate the spatial and temporal distribution of groundwater levels, determine the recharge times of the aquifers, and calibrate the hydrological models. This study proposes a methodology for implementing advanced multitemporal differential interferometry (InSAR) techniques for water withdrawal surveillance and early warning assessment. For this, large open-access images were used, a total of 145 SAR images from the Sentinel 1 C-band satellite provided by the Copernicus mission of the European Space Agency. InSAR processing was carried out with an algorithm based on parallel computing technology implemented in cloud infrastructure, optimizing complex workflows and processing times. The surveillance period records 6-years of satellite observation from September 2016 to December 2021 over the city of Chillan (Chile), an area exposed to urban development and intensive agriculture, where ~80 wells are located. The groundwater flow path spans from the Andes Mountain range to the Pacific Ocean, crossing the Itata river basin in the Chilean central valley. InSAR validation measurements were carried out by comparing the results with the values of continuous GNSS stations available in the area of interest. The performance analysis is based on spatial analysis, time series, meteorological stations data, and static level measurements, as well as hydrogeological structure. The results indicate seasonal variations in winter and summer, which corresponds to the recovery and drawdown periods with velocities > −10 mm/year, and an aquifer deterioration trend of up to 60 mm registered in the satellite SAR observation period. Our results show an efficient tool to monitor aquifer conditions, including irreversible consolidation and storage capacity loss, allowing timely decision making to avoid harmful exploitation.

SAR Interferometry Data Exploitation for Infrastructure Monitoring Using GIS Application

“…Therefore, they are especially The time series represents the most advanced DInSAR product. They provide the history of the deformations during the observed period, which is essential for many applications, to study the kinematics of a given phenomenon (inactivity, activation, acceleration, fluctuation, trend changes), and its correlation with inducing factors through the interpretation and exploitation of deformation time series [57,58]. Time series analysis is especially necessary for measurement points with higher consistency; that is, those whose phase terms linked to deformations are more than the model chosen during the processing phase.…”

Integrating SBAS-InSAR and Random Forest for Identifying and Controlling Land Subsidence and Uplift in a Multi-Layered Porous System of North China Plain

“…Satellite technologies, such as Small Baseline Subset Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SBAS-InSAR), allow regional-scale mapping and monitoring of land deformation with lower costs [8]. In particular, the monitoring of large spatial extent and temporal development of land deformation is possible with the application of time series radar interferometry by analyzing a series of stacked radar interferometric data with continuous temporal baselines [9][10][11][12]. For instance, Galve et al [13] performed SBAS-INSAR calculations based on the European Space Agency's Geohazard Exploitation Platform (GEP) on 25 ENVISAT satellite images of southern Spain from 2003 to 2008, and the ground instabilities were detected.…”

InSAR Monitoring Using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) and Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) Techniques for Ground Deformation Measurement in Metropolitan Area of Concepción, Chile

“…Multi-temporal InSAR's capabilities are its spatial and temporal coverage and remote monitoring at a consistent and continuous rate, making it suitable for monitoring large urban areas. This technique is mainly used in the field of geoscience to monitor the solid Earth's processes or phenomena that cause deformations, such as seismic deformation [8][9][10], volcanic, and landslides monitoring [11][12][13], and water withdrawals [14][15][16], as well as for infrastructure maintenance and monitoring tasks [17][18][19][20].…”