Investigation of Potential Volcanic Risk from Mt. Baekdu by DInSAR Time Series Analysis and Atmospheric Correction

Abstract

Abstract:Mt. Baekdu is a volcano near the North Korea-Chinese border that experienced a few destructive eruptions over the course of its history, including the well-known 1702 A.D eruption. However, signals of unrest, including seismic activity, gas emission and intense geothermal activity, have been occurring with increasing frequency over the last few years. Due to its close vicinity to a densely populated area and the high magnitude of historical volcanic eruptions, its potential for destructive volcanic activity has drawn wide public attention. However, direct field surveying in the area is limited due to logistic challenges. In order to compensate for the limited coverage of ground observations, comprehensive measurements using remote sensing techniques are required. Among these techniques, Differential Interferometric SAR (DInSAR) analysis is the most effective method for monitoring surface deformation and is employed in this study. Through advanced atmospheric error correction and time series analysis, the accuracy of the detected displacements was improved. As a result, clear uplift up to 20 mm/year was identified around Mt. Baekdu and was further used to estimate the possible deformation source, which is considered as a consequence of magma and fault interaction. Since the method for tracing deformation was proved feasible, continuous DInSAR monitoring employing upcoming SAR missions and advanced error regulation algorithms will be of great value in monitoring comprehensive surface deformation over Mt. Baekdu and in general world-wide active volcanoes.

Remote Sensing of Snow Cover Using Spaceborne SAR: A Review

“…Furthermore, based on the phase information recorded by SAR, coherence and interferometry can be generated [71][72][73], which can indicate the deformation and stability of ground features. Such information can be analyzed to detect and quantify, e.g., glacier velocity or other moving targets [74][75][76].…”

Analyses of Time Series InSAR Signatures for Land Cover Classification: Case Studies over Dense Forestry Areas with L-Band SAR Images

“…As also stated in Wegmuller and Werner’s analysis, the moisture changes in vegetation canopy and soil induced by the precipitation can produced significant effects in phase coherence as the permeability of target electromagnetic matter become inconsistent interacting with wind speed and direction. However, due to the following two reasons: (1) the precipitation effects on the phase coherence over the target area was mainly produced by the local turbulences which is not predicted by ECMWF [25]; (2) the mechanism of phase coherence change by the precipitation is largely complicated due to the interacting with the wind, we only analyzed the inter-relationship between phase coherence considering that wind component may imply some effects of local precipitation that cannot be accurately investigated independently. Those factors caused uncertainties for the establishment of land cover classification scheme using time series phase coherence.…”

The 2017 Noneruptive Unrest at the Caldera of Cerro Azul Volcano (Galápagos Islands) Revealed by InSAR Observations and Geodetic Modelling

“…The most widely used method of satellite orbital ramps is to remove a best-fit plane or surface from the interferogram [60,61]. The atmospheric delay is mainly caused by the spatiotemporal variation in water vapor content in the atmosphere-this is called the wet tropospheric delay [62,63]-and is generally considered to be topographically linearly correlated. In addition, the Generic Atmospheric Correction Online Service (GACOS) for InSAR supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) provides atmospheric delay models with a ground resolution of 90 m × 90 m [64][65][66].…”