Monitoring of landslide activity at the Sirobagarh landslide, Uttarakhand, India, using LiDAR, SAR interferometry and geodetic surveys

Abstract

A robust geodetic framework comprising Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS), Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Robotic Total Station (RTS) and Multi-temporal InSAR (MT-InSAR) was employed first in India to investigate a landslide-prone Sirobagarh region, Uttarakhand, at different spatial extents, and to evaluate the relationship amongst the displacement estimates obtained from the applied surveying techniques. TLS derived digital elevation models indicated displacements >5 m on the landslide upper scarp. GNSS- and RTS-based observations showed horizontal movements towards the Alaknanda river in the landslide slope direction (maximum values: 0.1305 and 0.045 m, respectively), and downward vertical motion (largest subsidence magnitude: −2.1315 and −0.030 m, respectively). MT-InSAR processing of Sentinel-1a images identified 21071 measurement pixels, highlighting subsidence around the landslide (mean velocity range: −0.110 to 0.008 m/year). Analysis of displacement vectors using vector equality, cross-covariance, cross-correlation and principal component analysis reveals that GNSS vertical displacement estimates were partially correlated with MT-InSAR measurements (correlated for epoch difference 2–3), whereas there was good cross-correlation between MT-InSAR and LiDAR observations throughout. The displacement estimates and their analyses evident unstable movement of the landslide scarp occurring due to debris flow and rainfall, and a relatively moderate subsidence activity in the surrounding areas lying in the landslide zone.