D-InSAR-based landslide location and monitoring at Wudongde hydropower reservoir in China

Differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry (D-InSAR) has become a useful technique for monitoring ground movement. The technique enables the analysis of very small ground movements in continuous, large areas and has the advantages of high accuracy, high resolution, all-weather adaptability, low cost, and inaccessible area coverage. Thus, D-InSAR has been widely used in the investigation of geologic hazards, such as subsidence, landslide, earthquake, and volcanic activity. In this paper, D-InSAR is used to locate and monitor landslide movement in the wide area of Wudongde Hydropower Reservoir in Jinsha River, China. Five SAR acquisitions are obtained by using the phased array-type L-band synthetic aperture radar sensor of the Advanced Land Observing Satellite. Detailed moving displacement maps in two time periods are derived by using the D-InSAR technique, and potentially moving landslide areas, as well as landslide hazard areas, are then located. The L1R-6 landslide, which is in active state, is investigated in detail. The deforming tendency obtained via D-InSAR is consistent with that obtained via global positioning system (GPS) monitoring. Error analysis of the D-InSAR results is also conducted. Finally, the grid function interpolation method of error reduction, which combines D-InSAR and GPS, is proposed to reduce the single-point error in D-InSAR monitoring and is further verified by the considerable improvement in the accuracy of L1R-6 landslide monitoring.