Novel Remote Sensing Approach to Rebuild Permafrost-Related Ground Deformation

Climate warming makes permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) undergo considerable thawing and degradation. Ground deformation is a crucial indicator of permafrost degradation. This can be measured through the latest multi-temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) methods.

Seasonal and linear ground deformation on the central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Image Credit: Jie Chen.

But as a result of the powerful heterogeneity of freeze-thaw processes, the patterns and magnitudes of large-scale ground deformation on QTP are not quantified much or understood.

Scientists from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have come up with a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-Land-Surface-Temperature-Integrated InSAR method to rebuild the permafrost-related ground deformation. Furthermore, they noted extensive seasonal and long-term ground deformation on the central QTP.

Through geophysical detector and spatial analysis, the scientists discovered that terrain slope is the primary factor regulating seasonal deformation. Powerful magnitudes and alterations of seasonal deformation are most pronounced in flat or gentle-slope regions as a result of the high water capacity.

Besides, the scientists note that linear subsidence is greater in the regions with high ground ice content and warm permafrost. Such findings show that under constant warming, the transition from cold permafrost to warm permafrost might result in highly extensive ground ice loss.

This study illustrates the ability of the permafrost-tailored InSAR methods to measure the magnitudes and spatial variations of the freeze-thaw processes and the melting of ground ice under various surface conditions (like vegetation types, different terrains, ice-poor, or ice-rich permafrost) at a high resolution over a large scale.

In the inaccessible or remote permafrost regions on QTP or in the Arctic, this study offers practical permafrost-tailored InSAR techniques and plans to map and measure the freeze-thaw processes and the degradation of permafrost more than on large scales. This is useful for comprehending the permafrost reaction to local disturbance and climate warming.

Journal Reference:

Chen, J., et al. (2021) Magnitudes and patterns of large-scale permafrost ground deformation revealed by Sentinel-1 InSAR on the central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Remote Sensing of Environment. doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2021.112778.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this news story?

Leave your feedback
Your comment type
Submit

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.