Increased Water Content in the Active Layer Revealed by Regional‐Scale InSAR and Independent Component Analysis on the Central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Abstract Isolating seasonal deformation from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) time‐series is critical to quantitative understanding the freeze‐thaw processes in permafrost regions. Physics‐ or statistics‐based approaches have been developed to extract seasonal deformation, yet both c...

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Main Authors: Jie Chen, Tonghua Wu, Lin Liu, Wenyu Gong, Simon Zwieback, Defu Zou, Xiaofan Zhu, Guojie Hu, Erji Du, Xiaodong Wu, Ren Li, Sizhong Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-08-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL097586
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author Jie Chen
Tonghua Wu
Lin Liu
Wenyu Gong
Simon Zwieback
Defu Zou
Xiaofan Zhu
Guojie Hu
Erji Du
Xiaodong Wu
Ren Li
Sizhong Yang
author_facet Jie Chen
Tonghua Wu
Lin Liu
Wenyu Gong
Simon Zwieback
Defu Zou
Xiaofan Zhu
Guojie Hu
Erji Du
Xiaodong Wu
Ren Li
Sizhong Yang
author_sort Jie Chen
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Isolating seasonal deformation from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) time‐series is critical to quantitative understanding the freeze‐thaw processes in permafrost regions. Physics‐ or statistics‐based approaches have been developed to extract seasonal deformation, yet both constraining their evolution in time domain, and thus impeded the quantification of their amplitude variability especially over large scales. By applying Independent Component Analysis (ICA) on Sentinel‐1 InSAR measurements during 2015–2019 on the central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, we reveal that the averaged seasonal deformation is increasing with a linear trend of around 0.17 cm/year. The growing seasonal amplitude is attributed to an 8 cm increase of the Equivalent Water Thickness in the active layer. The results demonstrate the capability of ICA‐based decomposition on isolating freeze‐thaw‐related deformation from other components. The large‐scale spatial distribution of varied seasonal deformation can provide new insight into quantifying the water mass balance in vast permafrost regions.
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language English
publishDate 2022-08-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Geophysical Research Letters
spelling doaj-art-3dafc8395e3c47099bbdb188ca5ab7f52025-08-20T02:12:53ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072022-08-014915n/an/a10.1029/2021GL097586Increased Water Content in the Active Layer Revealed by Regional‐Scale InSAR and Independent Component Analysis on the Central Qinghai‐Tibet PlateauJie Chen0Tonghua Wu1Lin Liu2Wenyu Gong3Simon Zwieback4Defu Zou5Xiaofan Zhu6Guojie Hu7Erji Du8Xiaodong Wu9Ren Li10Sizhong Yang11State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaEarth System Science Programme Faculty of Science The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR ChinaState Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics Institute of Geology China Earthquake Administration Beijing ChinaGeophysical Institute University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USAState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaState Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science Cryosphere Research Station on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau Northwest Institute of Eco‐Environment and Resources Chinese Academy of Sciences Lanzhou ChinaAbstract Isolating seasonal deformation from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) time‐series is critical to quantitative understanding the freeze‐thaw processes in permafrost regions. Physics‐ or statistics‐based approaches have been developed to extract seasonal deformation, yet both constraining their evolution in time domain, and thus impeded the quantification of their amplitude variability especially over large scales. By applying Independent Component Analysis (ICA) on Sentinel‐1 InSAR measurements during 2015–2019 on the central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau, we reveal that the averaged seasonal deformation is increasing with a linear trend of around 0.17 cm/year. The growing seasonal amplitude is attributed to an 8 cm increase of the Equivalent Water Thickness in the active layer. The results demonstrate the capability of ICA‐based decomposition on isolating freeze‐thaw‐related deformation from other components. The large‐scale spatial distribution of varied seasonal deformation can provide new insight into quantifying the water mass balance in vast permafrost regions.https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL097586permafrost ground deformationInSARactive layer water contentQinghai‐Tibet Plateauindependent component analysis
spellingShingle Jie Chen
Tonghua Wu
Lin Liu
Wenyu Gong
Simon Zwieback
Defu Zou
Xiaofan Zhu
Guojie Hu
Erji Du
Xiaodong Wu
Ren Li
Sizhong Yang
Increased Water Content in the Active Layer Revealed by Regional‐Scale InSAR and Independent Component Analysis on the Central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
Geophysical Research Letters
permafrost ground deformation
InSAR
active layer water content
Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
independent component analysis
title Increased Water Content in the Active Layer Revealed by Regional‐Scale InSAR and Independent Component Analysis on the Central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
title_full Increased Water Content in the Active Layer Revealed by Regional‐Scale InSAR and Independent Component Analysis on the Central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
title_fullStr Increased Water Content in the Active Layer Revealed by Regional‐Scale InSAR and Independent Component Analysis on the Central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
title_full_unstemmed Increased Water Content in the Active Layer Revealed by Regional‐Scale InSAR and Independent Component Analysis on the Central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
title_short Increased Water Content in the Active Layer Revealed by Regional‐Scale InSAR and Independent Component Analysis on the Central Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
title_sort increased water content in the active layer revealed by regional scale insar and independent component analysis on the central qinghai tibet plateau
topic permafrost ground deformation
InSAR
active layer water content
Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau
independent component analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL097586
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