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Abstract Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) provides subcentimetric measurements of surface displacements, which are key for characterizing and monitoring magmatic processes in volcanic regions. The abundant measurements of surface displacements in multitemporal InSAR data routinely acquired by SAR satellites can facilitate near real‐time volcano monitoring on a global basis. However, the presence of atmospheric signals in interferograms complicates the interpretation of those InSAR measurements, which can even lead to a misinterpretation of InSAR signals and volcanic unrest. Given the vast quantities of SAR data available, an automatic InSAR data processing and denoising approach is required to separate volcanic signals that are cause of concern from atmospheric signals and noise. In this study, we employ a deep learning strategy that directly removes atmospheric and other noise signals from time‐consecutive unwrapped surface displacements obtained through an InSAR time series approach using an end‐to‐end convolutional neural network (CNN) with an encoder‐decoder architecture, modified U‐net. The CNN is trained with simulated synthetic unwrapped surface displacement maps and is then applied to real InSAR data. Our proposed architecture is capable of detecting dynamic spatio‐temporal patterns of volcanic surface displacements. We find that an ensemble‐average strategy is recommended to stabilize detected results for varying deformation rates and signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNRs). A case study is also presented where this method is applied to InSAR data covering Masaya volcano, Nicaragua and the results are validated using continuous GPS data. The results confirm that our network can indeed efficiently suppress atmospheric and other noise to reveal the noise‐free surface deformation.
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Mapping Lava Flows on Venus Using SAR and InSAR: Hawaiʻi Case Study
Abstract We explore the potential for repeat‐pass SAR Interferometry (InSAR) correlation to track volcanic activity on Venus' surface motivated by future SAR missions to Earth's sister planet. We use Hawai'i as a natural laboratory to test whether InSAR can detect lava flows assuming orbital and instrument parameters similar to that of a Venus mission. Hawai'i was chosen because lava flows are frequent, and well documented by the United States Geological Survey, and because Hawai'i is a SAR supersite, where space agencies have offered open radar data sets for analysis. These data sets have different wavelengths (L, C, and X bands), bandwidths, polarizations, look angles, and a variety of orbital baselines, giving opportunity to assess the suitability of parameters for detecting lava flows. We analyze data from ALOS‐2 (L‐band), Sentinel‐1 (C‐band), and COSMO‐SkyMed (X‐band) spanning 2018 and 2022. We perform SAR amplitude and InSAR correlation analysis over temporal baselines and perpendicular baselines similar to those of a Venus mission. Fresh lava flows create a sharp, noticeable decrease in InSAR correlation that persists indefinitely for images spanning the event. The same lava flows are not always visible in the corresponding amplitude images. Moreover, noticeable decorrelation persists in image pairs acquired months after the events due to post‐emplacement contraction of flows. Post‐emplacement effects are hypothesized to last longer on the Venusian surface, increasing the likelihood of detecting Venus lava flows using InSAR. We argue for further focus on repeat‐pass InSAR capabilities in upcoming Venus missions, to detect and quantify volcanic activity on Earth's hotter twin.
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- PAR ID:
- 10588373
- Publisher / Repository:
- AGU
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Earth and Space Science
- Volume:
- 11
- Issue:
- 6
- ISSN:
- 2333-5084
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2024EA003510
