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Detection of sinkhole precursors through SAR interferometry: radar and geological considerations

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dc.contributor.author Theron, Andre
dc.contributor.author Engelbrecht, Jeanine
dc.contributor.author Kemp, J
dc.contributor.author Kleynhans, Waldo
dc.contributor.author Turnbull, T
dc.date.accessioned 2017-07-28T09:37:29Z
dc.date.available 2017-07-28T09:37:29Z
dc.date.issued 2017-06
dc.identifier.citation Theron, A., Engelbrecht, J., Kemp, J., Kleynhans, W. and Turnbull, T. 2017. Detection of sinkhole precursors through SAR interferometry: radar and geological considerations. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 14(6), pp 871-875 en_US
dc.identifier.issn 0196-2892
dc.identifier.uri http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7895138
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10204/9413
dc.description Copyright: 2017 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). This is a pre-print version. The definitive version of the work is published in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing Letters, 14(6), pp 871 - 875 en_US
dc.description.abstract Sinkholes are an unpredictable geohazard that endanger life and property in dolomitic terrains. Sinkholes are a significant threat in Gauteng, South Africa’s most populated and urbanized province. Small-scale surface subsidence is frequently present prior to the collapse of a sinkhole. Therefore, the presence of precursory surface deformation can be exploited to develop early warning systems. Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) differential interferometry (DInSAR) is able to monitor small-scale surface deformation over large areas and can be used to detect and measure precursors to sinkhole development. This letter investigates the use of repeat-pass DInSAR to detect sinkhole precursors in the Gauteng province. Twenty stripmap acquisitions from TerraSAR-X were acquired over a full year. DInSAR results revealed the presence of three previously unknown deformation features, one of which could be confirmed by subsequent field investigations. Furthermore, a water supply pipeline ruptured six months after the initial observation. The detection of the deformation, therefore, provided a viable early warning to landowners who were unaware of the subsidence. Detected deformation features were between 40 and 100 m in diameter. The maximum displacement measured was 50 mm over 55 days. Despite the successful detection, seven sinkhole events occurred in the observation period, for which no deformation could be detected. The results indicate that high-resolution X-band interferometry is able to monitor dolomite-induced instability in an urban environment. However, considerations related to SAR interferometry and physical sinkhole properties need to be addressed before DInSAR can be used in an operational early warning system. en_US
dc.language.iso en en_US
dc.publisher Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) en_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries Workflow;18010
dc.subject Interferometry en_US
dc.subject Synthetic aperture radar en_US
dc.subject Geology en_US
dc.subject Hazardous areas en_US
dc.title Detection of sinkhole precursors through SAR interferometry: radar and geological considerations en_US
dc.type Article en_US
dc.identifier.apacitation Theron, A., Engelbrecht, J., Kemp, J., Kleynhans, W., & Turnbull, T. (2017). Detection of sinkhole precursors through SAR interferometry: radar and geological considerations. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/9413 en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitation Theron, Andre, Jeanine Engelbrecht, J Kemp, Waldo Kleynhans, and T Turnbull "Detection of sinkhole precursors through SAR interferometry: radar and geological considerations." (2017) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/9413 en_ZA
dc.identifier.vancouvercitation Theron A, Engelbrecht J, Kemp J, Kleynhans W, Turnbull T. Detection of sinkhole precursors through SAR interferometry: radar and geological considerations. 2017; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/9413. en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Article AU - Theron, Andre AU - Engelbrecht, Jeanine AU - Kemp, J AU - Kleynhans, Waldo AU - Turnbull, T AB - Sinkholes are an unpredictable geohazard that endanger life and property in dolomitic terrains. Sinkholes are a significant threat in Gauteng, South Africa’s most populated and urbanized province. Small-scale surface subsidence is frequently present prior to the collapse of a sinkhole. Therefore, the presence of precursory surface deformation can be exploited to develop early warning systems. Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) differential interferometry (DInSAR) is able to monitor small-scale surface deformation over large areas and can be used to detect and measure precursors to sinkhole development. This letter investigates the use of repeat-pass DInSAR to detect sinkhole precursors in the Gauteng province. Twenty stripmap acquisitions from TerraSAR-X were acquired over a full year. DInSAR results revealed the presence of three previously unknown deformation features, one of which could be confirmed by subsequent field investigations. Furthermore, a water supply pipeline ruptured six months after the initial observation. The detection of the deformation, therefore, provided a viable early warning to landowners who were unaware of the subsidence. Detected deformation features were between 40 and 100 m in diameter. The maximum displacement measured was 50 mm over 55 days. Despite the successful detection, seven sinkhole events occurred in the observation period, for which no deformation could be detected. The results indicate that high-resolution X-band interferometry is able to monitor dolomite-induced instability in an urban environment. However, considerations related to SAR interferometry and physical sinkhole properties need to be addressed before DInSAR can be used in an operational early warning system. DA - 2017-06 DB - ResearchSpace DP - CSIR KW - Interferometry KW - Synthetic aperture radar KW - Geology KW - Hazardous areas LK - https://researchspace.csir.co.za PY - 2017 SM - 0196-2892 T1 - Detection of sinkhole precursors through SAR interferometry: radar and geological considerations TI - Detection of sinkhole precursors through SAR interferometry: radar and geological considerations UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10204/9413 ER - en_ZA


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