Remote Sensing and GIS Applications in Environmental Sciences

Surface subsidence over a large structure using SBAS-InSAR with ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 data: The case of Mosul Dam, Iraq

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Remote Sensing and GIS, Faculty of Planning and Environmental Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

2 Department of Architecture and Building Engineering. Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan

10.22034/rsgi.2025.65859.1120

Abstract

Water conservation and efficient utilization are critical in water-scarce and arid regions such as Iraq. Dams, as vital infrastructure, play a significant role in meeting diverse needs, including water supply, flood control, and maintaining environmental flows. However, improper management of dams can lead to adverse effects on both human populations and ecosystems, disrupt water systems and habitats, and degrade water quality. Addressing these challenges, this study employs the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) technique, a modern Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) method, to analyze displacement rates at Mosul Dam in Iraq. Using 21 ALOS-2 PALSAR-2 L-band radar images, we observed that the central section of the dam is most susceptible to subsidence, while the sides experience less deformation. The average subsidence rate was found to be −2.21 mm/year, with an average cumulative subsidence of −7.18 mm over the study period. The maximum subsidence recorded was −51.70 mm, and the maximum uplift was 30 mm. These findings are based on data collected between November 23, 2014, and March 17, 2024, providing valuable insights into the dam's structural behavior and informing future management strategies.

Keywords

Main Subjects

حفظ آب و استفاده بهینه در مناطق کم آب و خشک مانند عراق بسیار مهم است. سدها به عنوان زیرساخت های حیاتی نقش بسزایی در تامین نیازهای مختلف از جمله تامین آب، کنترل سیلاب و حفظ جریان های زیست محیطی دارند. با این حال، مدیریت نادرست سدها می تواند منجر به اثرات نامطلوب بر جمعیت انسانی و اکوسیستم، اختلال در سیستم ها و زیستگاه های آب و کاهش کیفیت آب شود. با پرداختن به این چالش ها، این مطالعه از تکنیک زیرمجموعه خط پایه کوچک (SBAS)، یک روش مدرن تداخل سنجی رادار دیافراگم مصنوعی (InSAR)، برای تجزیه و تحلیل نرخ جابجایی در سد موصل در عراق استفاده می کند. با استفاده از 21 تصویر رادار باند L ALOS/PALSAR-2، مشاهده کردیم که بخش مرکزی سد بیشتر مستعد فرونشست است، در حالی که طرفین تغییر شکل کمتری را تجربه می کنند. میانگین نرخ فرونشست 2.21- میلی متر در سال، با میانگین نشست تجمعی 7.18- میلی متر در طول دوره مطالعه مشخص شد. حداکثر فرونشست ثبت شده 70/51- میلی متر و حداکثر برآمدگی 30 میلی متر بود. این یافته ها بر اساس داده های جمع آوری شده بین 23 نوامبر 2014 و 17 مارس 2024 است که بینش های ارزشمندی را در مورد رفتار ساختاری سد ارائه می دهد و استراتژی های مدیریت آینده را اطلاع رسانی می کند.

Association of State Dam Safety. (2023). Dams 101. https://damsafety.org/dams101
Gracon LLC. (2023). Advantages of Dams, Benefits & Importance of Dam Construction. https://graconllc.com/advantages-of-dams
Sankowski, A. (2020). The Importance of Dams and Dam Safety. Straughan Environmental, Inc. https://www.straughanenvironmental.com/news-insights/the-importance-of-dams-and-dam-safety/
Milillo, P., Perissin, D., Salzer, J., Lundgren, P., Lacava, G., Milillo, G., Serio, C. (2016). Monitoring dam structural health from space: Insights from novelInSAR techniques and multi-parametric modeling applied to the Pertusillo dam Basilicata, Italy. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 52, 221–229. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0303243416300952
Bowen, S. (2007). Office of the special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Relief and reconstruction funded work at Mosul dam Mosul, Iraq. http://cybercemetery.unt.edu/archive/sigir/20131001121159/http:/www.sigir.mil/files/assessments/PA-07-105.pdf
Ashraf, T., Yin, F., Liu, L., Zhang, Q. (2024). Land Subsidence Detection Using SBAS- and Stacking-InSAR with Zonal Statistics and Topographic Correlations in Lakhra Coal Mines, Pakistan. Remote Sens, 16(20), 3815. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/20/3815
Cigna, F., Tapete, D. (2021). Present-Day Land Subsidence Rates, Surface Faulting Hazard and Risk in Mexico City with 2014–2020 Sentinel-1 IW InSAR. Remote Sens. Environ, 253, 112161. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0034425720305344
Li, S., Xu, W., Li, Z. (2022). Review of the SBAS InSAR Time-series algorithms, applications, and challenges. Geodesy and Geodynamics, 13(2), 114–126. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674984721000860
Karimzadeh, S., Zulfikar, A., Matsuoka, M. (2024). Time series analysis of L-band PALSAR-2 images in Istanbul and Kocaeli, Turkey. Big Earth Data, DOI, 8(3), 467–493. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20964471.2024.2320466
Madson, A., Sheng, Y. (2020). Reservoir induced deformation analysis for several filling and operational scenarios at the grand Ethiopian renaissance dam impoundment. Remote Sensing, 12(11) 1886. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/11/1886
Wu, Z., Lv, X., Yun, Y., Duan, W. (2024). A Parallel Sequential SBAS Processing Framework Based on Hadoop Distributed Computing. Remote Sens, 16(3), 466. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/16/3/466
Williams, J., Rosser, N., Kincey, M., Benjamin, J., Oven, K., Densmore, A., Milledge, D., Robinson, T., Jordan, C., Dijkstra, T. (2018). Satellite-based emergency mapping using optical imagery: Experience and reflections from the 2015 Nepal earthquakes. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst Sci, 18, 185–205. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322536215_Satellite-based_emergency_mapping_using_optical_imagery_experience_and_reflections_from_the_2015_Nepal_earthquakes
Bessette-Kirton, E., Cerovski-Darriau, C., Schulz, W., Coe, A., Kean, J., Godt, J., Thomas, M., Stephen Hughes, K. (2019). Landslides triggered by Hurricane Maria: Assessment of an extreme event in Puerto Rico. GSA Today Archive, 29(6), 4–10. https://rock.geosociety.org/net/gsatoday/science/G383A/article.htm
Robinson, T., Rosser, N., Walters, R. (2019). The Spatial and Temporal Influence of Cloud Cover on Satellite-Based Emergency Mapping of Earthquake Disasters. Sci. Rep, 9(1), 12455–12459. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335452221_The_Spatial_and_Temporal_Influence_of_Cloud_Cover_on_Satellite-Based_Emergency_Mapping_of_Earthquake_Disasters
Ruiz-Armenteros, A., Lazecky, M., Ruiz-Constán, A., Bakoň, M., Manuel Delgado, J., Sousa, J., Galindo-Zaldívar, J., Galdeano, C., Caro-Cuenca, M., Martos-Rosillo S., Jiménez-Gavilán, P., Perissin, D. (2018). Monitoring continuous subsidence in the Costa del Sol (Málaga province, southern Spanish coast) using ERS-1/2, Envisat, and Sentinel-1A/B SAR interferometry. Procedia Computer Sci, 138, 354–361. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877050918316831
Khafaji, K., Ben Hamed, B. (2025). Improving the Prediction of Evaporation Variable in Mosul Dam Using ARIMA Model and Time Series Analysis. Fusion: Practice and Applications (FPA), 17(02), 342-355. https://americaspg.com/article/pdf/3308
Al-Ansari, N., Adamo, N., Al-Hamdani, M., Sahar, K., Al-Naemi, R. (2021). Mosul Dam Problem and Stability. Engineering, 13(3), 105-124. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349882424_Mosul_Dam_Problem_and_Stability
Berardino, P., Fornaro, G., Lanari, R., Sansosti, E. (2002) A new algorithm for surface deformation monitoring based on small baseline differential SAR interferograms. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 40(11), 2375–2383. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1166596
Lanari, R., Casu, F., Manzo, M., Zwni, G., Berardino, P., Manunta, M., Pepe, A. (2007). An Overview of the Small BAseline Subset Algorithm: a DInSAR Technique for Surface Deformation Analysis. Pure and applied geophysics, 164(4), 637–661. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-7643-8417-3_2
Remote Sensing and GIS Applications in Environmental Sciences
Volume 5, Issue 15
August 2025
Pages 71-47
  • Receive Date: 11 February 2025
  • Revise Date: 20 March 2025
  • Accept Date: 08 July 2025