Monitoring of mining-induced surface deformation in the Ruhrgebiet (Germany) with SAR interferometry

• Published in: IGARSS 2000. IEEE 2000 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium. Taking the Pulse of the Planet: The Role of Remote Sensing in Managing the Environment. Proceedings (Cat. No.00CH37120) Vol. 6; pp. 2771 - 2773 vol.6
• Main Authors: Wegmuller, U., Strozzi, T., Werner, C., Wiesmann, A., Benecke, N., Spreckels, V.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 2000
• Subjects: Digital elevation models; Electronic mail; Interferometry; Layout; Limiting; Phase estimation; Remote monitoring; Signal processing; Surface topography; Urban areas
• ISBN: 0780363590; 9780780363595
• DOI: 10.1109/IGARSS.2000.859710

Subsurface coal mining cause significant surface deformations. In this contribution the potential and limitations of ERS repeat-pass differential SAR interferometry for mining induced surface deformation monitoring is evaluated based on the example of the German Ruhrgebiet. ERS data in ascending and descending mode, including Tandem pairs suited to estimate the topography related phase, are used for the analysis. Especially for urban areas the technique performs well as confirmed through validation with mining information. The main limiting factor identified is temporal decorrelation of the signal which does not allow estimation of surface deformation velocities in forested and in many cases agricultural areas.