Long-Term SAR Data Analysis for Subsidence Monitoring and Correlation Study at Beijing Capital Airport

Abstract

Land subsidence, resulting from natural or human activities, is a global environmental geological disaster. The Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) time-series analysis technique offers high spatial and continuous temporal resolution, providing data and a foundation for investigating regional land subsidence and its evolution mechanism. Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) has experienced uneven land subsidence since 1935, together with severe fissures significantly affecting its normal operations. In this study, the time-series InSAR method was successfully applied to monitor the gradual increase in uneven local subsidence and ground fissures activity at BCIA from June 2003 to March 2023. Initially, ENVISAT-ASAR, Cosmo-SkyMed, and Sentinel-1 data were processed by time-series InSAR techniques to generate deformation rate maps and time series for the airport area. Subsequently, a comparison was made between the displacement time series from InSAR and ground leveling measurements to assess the accuracy of InSAR-derived measurements. Through a comprehensive analysis of the distribution characteristics of land subsidence at the airport, a long-standing ground fault was located within the airport was identified. A preliminary discussion on the development status of this ground fissure was carried out based on the visual interpretation of optical images. Lastly, the inducing factors and evolutionary conditions of land subsidence were discussed. This case demonstrates the applicability of InSAR technology in identifying and monitoring geological processes such as land subsidence and ground fissure activities. It provides a scientific approach to exploring and studying the causes and formation mechanisms of land subsidence and ground fissures in the Beijing Capital Airport area.

Reduction of Subsidence and Large-Scale Rebound in the Beijing Plain after Anthropogenic Water Transfer and Ecological Recharge of Groundwater: Evidence from Long Time-Series Satellites InSAR

“…The spatial density of deformation pixels is much higher using the PS-DS method, and more details of uneven deformation are evident near the boundaries of subsidence or uplift regions (Figure 7(a2,b2)). In particular, the differences in deformation along the north and south sides of the Tongzhou fault in the Beijing Capital International Airport area, which is one of the most critical infrastructure elements in Beijing [46], are evident in Figure 7(c2), but not in Figure 7(c1). The number of data pixels yielded by the improved PS-DS method was 3 to 7 times that provided by the traditional PSI method.…”

Quantitative Assessment and Impact Analysis of Land Surface Deformation in Wuxi Based on PS-InSAR and GARCH Model

“…Ground deformation refers to the fluctuating trend of surface morphology within a certain spatiotemporal range, including subsidence, uplift, and horizontal movement. Among them, subsidence and uplift have significant impacts on human life and the natural environment [1][2][3]. Ground subsidence is a geological phenomenon in which the altitude of the Earth's surface continuously decreases over a certain period under the influence of anthropogenic or natural factors [4].…”