Seasonal Surface Subsidence and Frost Heave Detected by C-Band DInSAR in a High Arctic Environment, Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada
Differential interferometry of synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) can be used to generate high-precision surface displacement maps in continuous permafrost environments, capturing isotropic surface subsidence and uplift associated with the seasonal freeze and thaw cycle. We generated seasonal displac...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/13/2505 |
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| author | Greg Robson Paul Treitz Scott F. Lamoureux Kevin Murnaghan Brian Brisco |
| author_facet | Greg Robson Paul Treitz Scott F. Lamoureux Kevin Murnaghan Brian Brisco |
| author_sort | Greg Robson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Differential interferometry of synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) can be used to generate high-precision surface displacement maps in continuous permafrost environments, capturing isotropic surface subsidence and uplift associated with the seasonal freeze and thaw cycle. We generated seasonal displacement maps using DInSAR with ultrafine-beam Radarsat-2 data for the summers of 2013, 2015, and 2019 at Cape Bounty, Melville Island, and examined them in combination with a land-cover classification, meteorological data, topographic data, optical satellite imagery, and in situ measures of soil moisture, soil temperature, and depth to the frost table. Over the three years studied, displacement magnitudes (estimated uncertainty ± 1 cm) of up to 10 cm per 48-day DInSAR stack were detected. However, generally, the displacement was far smaller (up to 4 cm). Surface displacement was found to be most extensive and of the greatest magnitude in low-lying, wet, and steeply sloping areas. The few areas where large vertical displacements (>2.5 cm) were detected in multiple years were clustered in wet, low lying areas, on steep slopes or ridges, or close to the coast. DInSAR also captured the expansion of two medium-sized retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS), exhibiting widespread negative surface change in the slump floor. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:01:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c13427d5e22e4865a2d666d9be56ac09 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:01:58Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-c13427d5e22e4865a2d666d9be56ac092023-11-22T01:53:21ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922021-06-011313250510.3390/rs13132505Seasonal Surface Subsidence and Frost Heave Detected by C-Band DInSAR in a High Arctic Environment, Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, CanadaGreg Robson0Paul Treitz1Scott F. Lamoureux2Kevin Murnaghan3Brian Brisco4Department of Geography and Planning, Queen’s University, Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Planning, Queen’s University, Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, CanadaDepartment of Geography and Planning, Queen’s University, Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, CanadaCanada Centre for Remote Sensing, 560 Rochester Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4, CanadaCanada Centre for Remote Sensing, 560 Rochester Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 0E4, CanadaDifferential interferometry of synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) can be used to generate high-precision surface displacement maps in continuous permafrost environments, capturing isotropic surface subsidence and uplift associated with the seasonal freeze and thaw cycle. We generated seasonal displacement maps using DInSAR with ultrafine-beam Radarsat-2 data for the summers of 2013, 2015, and 2019 at Cape Bounty, Melville Island, and examined them in combination with a land-cover classification, meteorological data, topographic data, optical satellite imagery, and in situ measures of soil moisture, soil temperature, and depth to the frost table. Over the three years studied, displacement magnitudes (estimated uncertainty ± 1 cm) of up to 10 cm per 48-day DInSAR stack were detected. However, generally, the displacement was far smaller (up to 4 cm). Surface displacement was found to be most extensive and of the greatest magnitude in low-lying, wet, and steeply sloping areas. The few areas where large vertical displacements (>2.5 cm) were detected in multiple years were clustered in wet, low lying areas, on steep slopes or ridges, or close to the coast. DInSAR also captured the expansion of two medium-sized retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS), exhibiting widespread negative surface change in the slump floor.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/13/2505DInSARpermafrostsubsidenceheaveprecipitationArctic |
| spellingShingle | Greg Robson Paul Treitz Scott F. Lamoureux Kevin Murnaghan Brian Brisco Seasonal Surface Subsidence and Frost Heave Detected by C-Band DInSAR in a High Arctic Environment, Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada Remote Sensing DInSAR permafrost subsidence heave precipitation Arctic |
| title | Seasonal Surface Subsidence and Frost Heave Detected by C-Band DInSAR in a High Arctic Environment, Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada |
| title_full | Seasonal Surface Subsidence and Frost Heave Detected by C-Band DInSAR in a High Arctic Environment, Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal Surface Subsidence and Frost Heave Detected by C-Band DInSAR in a High Arctic Environment, Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal Surface Subsidence and Frost Heave Detected by C-Band DInSAR in a High Arctic Environment, Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada |
| title_short | Seasonal Surface Subsidence and Frost Heave Detected by C-Band DInSAR in a High Arctic Environment, Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut, Canada |
| title_sort | seasonal surface subsidence and frost heave detected by c band dinsar in a high arctic environment cape bounty melville island nunavut canada |
| topic | DInSAR permafrost subsidence heave precipitation Arctic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/13/13/2505 |
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