Deformation Monitoring of Qinghai-Tibet Railway from 1997-2018 using SAR Interferometry with Multi-sensors SAR Datasets

The permafrost in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) has undergone serious degradation due to the climate change and human activities. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway (QTR) is the highest plateau artificial facility and some sections are been threatened due to permafrost degradation. Long-team measurement along QTR is urgent for permafrost environment and hazard prevention. In this paper, the ground deformation along QTR from Wudaoliang to Tuotuohe section were retrieved using time-series InSAR method with multi-sensors SAR datasets during 1997 and 2018. InSAR measurement from ERS-1, ENVISAT and Sentinel-1A datasets shows most of the QTR shows stable condition. Obvious ground deformation in some sections, with the deformation rate up to −20 mm/year. The construction of QTR has ccelerated the settlement of permafrost in some areas.