Exploring the integration of InSAR data into climate-driven creep models to assess slow-moving landslide dynamics

Abstract

The deformation behavior of slow-moving large landslides is often governed by rainfall characteristics. Based on observational data such as precipitation, deformation measurement, and pore water pressure measurements in the slip zone, in many cases a strong correlation between strong rainfall events, a time-delayed increase of pore water pressures in the slip zone, and, simultaneously to this, an increase of the deformation rate of the landslide can be found. Based on such detailed data, calculation models, which couples the relation between rainfall characteristics and the development of pore water pressures in the slip zone on one hand and the deformation behavior of the slope on the other, can be developed and be used for a better understanding and a prediction of deformation behavior of such slow-moving landslides. Climate change issues will lead to a change in rainfall frequency and magnitude and annual temperature distribution characteristics in several regions worldwide, which will also lead to changes in the deformation behavior of such large landslides. In this contribution, satellite-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data are discussed to be used as source for deformation measurements as bases for prediction models describing the rainfall-triggered deformation behavior of slow-moving landslides.