Analysis of mass movements in alpine terrain by means of SAR interferometry

The application of satellite radar interferometry for monitoring mass movements was investigated based on ERS-1 and ERS-2 SAR images of the Austrian Alps. The coherence of 30 image pairs, spanning time intervals between one day and three years, was analysed. The images decorrelate rapidly over densely vegetated surfaces, but above the tree line the coherence is suitable for generating interferograms over annual time spans. 35-day repeat pass images were used to analyze the motion of rock glaciers, which is of the order of centimeters per months. The creep of an unstable slope above a reservoir, revealing downslope displacements of millimeters to a few centimeters per year, was successfully derived from interferograms covering times spans from one to three years.