Collaborative research: Space-based detection of sinkhole activities in Central Florida

在过去的一年里，佛罗里达中部的两次天坑事件引起了媒体的极大关注。2013年3月，塞夫纳的一所房子下面倒塌了一个天坑，吞下去了？一个人从他的卧室。2013年8月，一个天坑坍塌摧毁了迪士尼世界附近的一个度假区。 然而，这些戏剧性的事件只是一系列财产损失中的极端例子，这些财产损失在人为抽取地下水时激增。探测初期的天坑活动，特别是可能导致突然坍塌的活动，是一项具有挑战性的任务。然而，合成孔径雷达（SAR）卫星的检测和分辨率能力最近的改进，使如今的空间基地探测地球的小运动？的表面在毫米/年的水平。在这个项目中，我们将使用合成孔径雷达观测获得的中央佛罗里达由德国和意大利的合成孔径雷达卫星。使用先进的时间序列技术对数据进行干涉处理，将提供详细的地表移动图，并使我们能够探测可能表明天坑活动的局部沉降区。将利用探地雷达勘测对天基天坑探测进行核查。塌陷前天坑活动的成功探测将成为减少佛罗里达州中部和全球其他天坑多发地区生命和财产危害的重要工具。佛罗里达州中部的天坑活动是一种主要的自然灾害，导致严重的财产损失，偶尔会造成生命损失。 我们建议使用干涉合成孔径雷达（干涉合成孔径雷达），以监测在佛罗里达中部的天坑活动，以检测沉降的网站，并解决可能的间接沉降之前，天坑塌陷。我们将责成德国TerraSAR-X卫星和意大利Cosmo-SkyMed卫星星座在选定地区获取高分辨率观测数据（亚米像素分辨率），重复获取间隔为10-20天。使用干涉合成孔径雷达时间序列技术对数据进行干涉处理，将为我们提供高空间分辨率的地表移动图，精度为1-2毫米/年，这将使我们能够检测局部沉降，并更好地了解可能与天坑塌陷无关的活动。我们会利用天基数据，以次米尺度的探地雷达勘测选择研究地点。该有限规模项目的目的是提供一个概念验证，即干涉合成孔径雷达观测可用于探测佛罗里达中部具有挑战性的亚热带植被丰富的环境中的潜在天坑活动。对天坑活动的成功天基探测将导致进一步利用干涉合成孔径雷达观测，以减轻佛罗里达中部和世界各地其他天坑易发地区的天坑灾害。

Over the past year two sinkhole events in central Florida attracted significant media attention. In March 2013, a sinkhole collapsed beneath a house in Seffner and ?swallowed? a person from his bedroom. In August 2013 a sinkhole collapse destroyed a resort complex near Disney World. These dramatic events, however, are just extreme examples that stand out from a steady stream of property damage, which spikes at times of anthropogenic groundwater withdrawals. Detecting incipient sinkhole activity, particularly that which may result in sudden collapse, is a challenging task. However, recent improvements in the detection and resolution capabilities of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites enable nowadays space-base detection of small movements of the Earth?s surface at the millimeter/year level. In this project we will use SAR observations acquired over central Florida by German and Italian SAR satellites. Interferometric processing of the data using advanced time series techniques, will provide detailed maps of surface movements and will allow us to detect localized subsiding areas that may be indicative of sinkhole activity. Verification of the space-base sinkhole detection will be conducted using Ground Penetrating Radar surveys. Successful detection of pre-collapse sinkhole activities will serve as very important tool to minimize life and property hazard in central Florida and other sinkhole-prone areas worldwide.Sinkhole activity in central Florida is a major natural hazard, resulting in severe property damage and occasionally in life loss. We propose to use Inferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to monitor sinkhole activities in central Florida, in order to detect subsiding sites and resolve possible precursory subsidence prior to sinkhole collapse. We will task the German satellite TerraSAR-X and the Italian satellite constellation Cosmo-SkyMed to acquire high-resolution observations (sub-meter pixel resolution) over selected areas, with repeat acquisition intervals of 10-20 days. Interferometric processing of the data using InSAR time series techniques will provide us high spatial resolution maps of surface movements with 1-2 mm/yr accuracy, which will enable us to detect localized subsidence and better understand activity that may be precursory to sinkhole collapse. We will use the space-based data to select sites for study with sub-meter scale ground-penetrating radar surveys. The purpose of this limited scale project is to provide a proof-of-concept that InSAR observations can be used to detect precursory sinkhole activity in the challenging sub-tropical vegetation-rich environment of central Florida. Successful space-based detection of sinkhole activity will lead to further utilization of InSAR observations for sinkhole hazard mitigation in central Florida and other sinkhole-prone areas worldwide.