Landslide Hazard Mapping Using Ground-based Interferometric Radar in the Fjords of South-Central Alaska

The cities of Seward and Whittier, Alaska are situated at the base of steep walls within two fjords located on the Kenai Peninsula. Historic events have shown that the combination of terrain, geology, and vegetation are factors which can lead to significant events of erosion in the surrounding slopes during periods of heavy rainfall. While other remote sensing techniques have been shown to be useful for accessing landslide hazards, local surface processes may be better understood to create more accurate hazard maps and predictive models by using data gained from interferometric radar. To gain perspective into where, and at which speed, slopes are deforming, we utilize the GPRI-2 terrestrial interferometric radar system which transmits signals in the Ku band. The GPRI-2 portable radar unit has several advantages to space-borne radar, including relative freedom of site selection and regions to target, ability to determine temporal baselines, and repeat acquisitions which can be collected with a zero spatial-baseline. There are however, problems which need to be addressed when using such a system in the fjord environments, and in particular for monitoring slope deformation in these areas. Foremost, the noise that is attributed to the atmosphere is of great concern as it is sometimes required to position the radar several kilometers away from the target, across open water. We offer our results of correcting for this interference and report the results. Secondly, we address the issue of repeat acquisitions over long periods of time, which is needed to detect movements in the slope, and report on the decorrelation of the signal in the various land cover types in the study areas. Finally, we offer suggestions of the usefulness of such a system to detect slope deformation in similar environments.