Surface deformations analysis of underground gas storage using PSInSAR based on SENTINEL-1 data

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to utilize the Persistent Scatterers InSAR method for studying cyclic movements of the Earth's surface caused by technological processes involved in exploiting the underground gas storage facility. The objective of this research is the area of the Bohorodchany underground gas storage facility, which was constructed at a depleted gas reservoir. The research input data were thirty-nine (39) SAR images acquired by the Sentinel-1 satellite in the Interferometric Wide mode from an ascending orbit. The time series covered the period from May 31, 2021, to December 23, 2023. The time interval between the images was 24 days. The SNAP2StaMPS v2.0 algorithm enabled the preliminary preparation of radar images. The introduction of additional functions has significantly improved the operation convenience and reliability. The Stanford Method of Persistent Scatterers (StaMPS) was used to process radar images applying by the Persistent Scatterers technique. This method is implemented in the MatLab program. In the course of the data processing, the influence of atmospheric effects was taken into consideration. TRAIN toolkit was used for this purpose. It calculates the linear tropospheric delay of a radar signal and makes the required corrections. The visualization of deformation velocity maps of the gas storage area was implemented via the StaMPS-Visualizer. It has been established that the PSInSAR method allows to analyzing a time series of deformations in the area of both industrial sites and technological wells. The practical significance of the research results consists in the formulation of recommendations for the effective application of the PSInSAR method as a component of geodetic monitoring at the Bohorodchany underground gas storage facility.