Velocity distribution and movement of multiple slow-moving landslides characterized by an optimized MTInSAR workflow

• Published in: Engineering geology 2023-12, Vol.327, p.107339, Article 107339
• Main Authors: Lu, Chiao-Yin, Chan, Yu-Chang, Hu, Jyr-Ching, Chiu, Chun-Ying, Chu, Chung-Ray, Tseng, Chia-Han, Chang, Chih-Hsin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accelerated movements; humans; interferometry; landscapes; landslides; lidar; Optimized MTInSAR workflow; rain; Seasonal fluctuation signals; Slow-moving landslides; society; synthetic aperture radar; Taiwan; time series analysis; typhoons; Velocity distribution and movement
• ISSN: 0013-7952; 1872-6917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2023.107339

Slow-moving landslides can be found worldwide, exhibiting gradual movement over years to decades, with velocities ranging from millimeters to meters per year. However, slow-moving landslides can undergo transformation into rapid and catastrophic events, leading to severe damage to human society. Given the presence of >2500 pre-existing slow-moving landslides identified and cataloged using LiDAR bare ground data in Taiwan, it is crucial to efficiently assess their activity prior to the typhoon and heavy rainfall seasons. Therefore, a key research objective is to enhance the ability to detect landslide velocities and movements over large areas spanning tens of thousands of square kilometers. This study aims to establish a workflow that employs the multitemporal interferometric synthetic aperture radar (MTInSAR) technique for the detection and monitoring of multiple slow-moving landslides across wide regions. Specifically, we propose an optimized analysis package called “multi-snap2stamps,” based on the existing snap2stamps method, to generate interferograms for multiple regions simultaneously. Focusing on the analysis of nine pre-existing slow-moving landslides, with velocities