Phase consistency is a critical prerequisite for achieving high-precision time-series InSAR deformation retrieval. However, conventional SBAS-InSAR methods provide only limited consideration of phase consistency during the inversion process. Within the SBAS-InSAR workflow, two principal categories of error sources are primarily responsible for phase inconsistency, manifested as non-zero closure phase (NCP): (1) fading biases introduced during multilooking and filtering prior to phase unwrapping; and (2) unwrapping errors caused by large deformation gradients, low coherence, or inappropriate selection of unwrapping algorithms. To address these issues, this study introduces an improved SBAS-InSAR processing workflow, termed NCP-SBAS, designed to improve the accuracy of deformation field estimation and thereby enhance its applicability to geological hazard monitoring. The key idea of the method is to enforce phase consistency as a constraint, jointly accounting for the spatiotemporal characteristics of fading biases and the valid deformation signals, thereby enabling effective correction of NCP. To evaluate the effectiveness of NCP-SBAS, this study conducted a detailed analysis of deformation differences in Hualong County, Qinghai Province, before and after NCP correction, highlighting the significant advantages of the proposed approach. The results indicate that the influence of fading biases on deformation estimates depends on both the magnitude and direction of deformation, while unwrapping errors primarily lead to an underestimation of deformation. In addition, the study provides an in-depth discussion of how fading biases and unwrapping errors affect landslide monitoring and identification.
China’s first L-band fully polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation, LuTan-1 (LT-1), was designed for terrain mapping and geohazard monitoring. This study evaluates LT-1’s capability in identifying landslides in the southern hilly regions of China, focusing on Longshan County, Hunan Province. Using both ascending and descending orbit data from LT-1, we conducted landslide identification experiments. First, deformation was obtained using Differential Interferometric SAR (D-InSAR) technology, and the deformation rates were derived through the Stacking technique. A landslide identification method that integrates C-index, slope, and ascending/descending orbit deformation information was then applied. The identified landslides were validated against existing geohazard points and medium-to-high-risk slope and gully unit data. The experimental results indicate that LT-1-ascending orbit data identified 88 landslide areas, with 39.8% corresponding to geohazard points and 65.9% within known slope units. Descending orbit data identified 90 landslide areas, with 37.8% matching geohazard points and 61.1% within known slope units. The identification results demonstrated good consistency with existing data. Comparative analysis with Sentinel-1 data revealed that LT-1’s combined ascending and descending orbit data outperformed Sentinel-1’s single ascending orbit data. LT-1’s L-band characteristics, comprehensive ascending and descending orbit coverage, and high-precision deformation detection make it highly promising for landslide identification in the southern hilly regions. This study underscores LT-1’s robust technical support for early landslide identification, highlighting its potential to enhance geohazard monitoring and mitigate risks in challenging terrains.
The Yuanjiang Basin in Northwestern Hunan is a landslide-prone region due to its complex geological features and dense vegetation. Conventional single-polarization muti-temporal InSAR (MT-InSAR) methods often fail in such areas because of severe decorrelation, leading to reduced accuracy and coverage in monitoring. To address these limitations, this study proposes an innovative landslide detection framework using the muti-temporal polarimetric InSAR (MT-PolInSAR) method. This approach improves the density and precision of deformation measurements by optimizing polarimetric and temporal dimensions. Leveraging fully polarimetric ALOS-2 data acquired from May 2021 to June 2022, 32 potential deformation sites were identified, including 18 landslide-prone areas and 8 sites showing other deformation types, with average deformation rates between −4 and −2 cm/year. Field validation confirmed an identification accuracy of 81.25%, demonstrating the robustness of fully polarimetric long-wavelength SAR data for landslide monitoring in densely vegetated regions. This method offers a significant advancement in the detection and assessment of landslide hazards in challenging environments.