Understanding and monitoring geohazards, including not only abrupt phenomena but also gradual land displacements, is of key scientific importance with socioeconomic implications. Satellite remote sensing techniques, such as Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), allow for detailed estimation of land displacements. Here, we focused on the area of Western Greece, characterized by numerous faults and high seismicity, and we quantified the spatiotemporal patterns of land displacements across the study domain from 2018 to 2022. We used the Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PSInSAR) technique to process Sentinel-1 InSAR data following the Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterer (StaMPS) workflow. Vertical and horizontal land displacements across the study area were estimated and compared with estimates from the European Ground Motion Service (EGMS). The magnitude of these displacements was further scrutinized at the annual and sub-annual time scale by examining the EGMS-derived time series of vertical and horizontal land motion at selected areas with critical infrastructures. The increasing availability of InSAR data, in tandem with advancements and ease in data handling and processing, facilitate the deployment of such remote sensing techniques, and, when combined with observations from ground networks, could assist towards comprehensive monitoring of land processes and infrastructures.
The area of Western Greece and the Peloponnese region show land deformations that can be triggered, for example, by seismic activity (e.g., Corinthian Gulf faults) and environmental factors (e.g., heavy rainfall). Land subsidence observed during the recent years within the Campus of the University of Patras in Northwestern Peloponnese confirms these spatiotemporal dynamics, with pronounced effects on the existing infrastructure and facilities. Here, we combined satellite remote sensing techniques and in situ geodetic monitoring to better understand these patterns and possible driving mechanisms. Regional-scale land deformations were quantified with active microwave remote sensing techniques (Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, PSInSAR) based on SAR data from the European Space Agency Sentinel-1 constellation of satellites. Land cover dynamics were characterized with high-resolution optical remote sensing observations (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI; Planet Labs). The spatiotemporal Sentinel-1 SAR data were processed using the SNAP-StaMPS (SentiNel Application Platform - Stanford Method of Persistent Scatterer) integrated workflow for Persistent Scatterers Interferometry. The PSInSAR analysis resulted in regional-scale displacements of up to a few tens of mm per year. These displacements patterns were explored in tandem with possible land cover changes as detected with the NDVI spatiotemporal dynamics and further refined at the local scale with repeated field surveys during 2022 and 2023 at selected locations within the Campus of the University of Patras that were affected by land subsidence. The combination of remote sensing techniques, together with in situ ground monitoring, provides unique opportunities for monitoring ground deformation in almost real-time, facilitating thus the assessment of the response of infrastructures to such spatiotemporal changes.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.