GMES-service for assessing and monitoring subsidence hazards in coastal lowland areas around Europe. SubCoast D3.5.1

This document is version two of the user requirements for SubCoast work package 3.5, it is SubCoast deliverable 3.5.1. Work package 3.5 aims to provide a European integrated GIS product on subsidence and relative sea level rise. The first step of this process was to contact the European Environment Agency as the main user to discover their user requirements. This document presents these requirments, the outline methodology that will be used to carry out the integration and the datasets that will be used. In outline the main user requirements of the EEA are: 1. Gridded approach using an Inspire compliant grid 2. The grid would hold data on: a. Likely rate of subsidence b. RSLR c. Impact (Vulnerability) d. Certainty (confidence map) e. Contribution of ground motion to RSLR f. A measure of certainty in the data provided g. Metadata 3. Spatial Coverage - Ideally entire coastline of all 37 member states a. Spatial resolution - 1km 4. Provide a measure of the degree of contribution of ground motion to RSLR The European integration will be based around a GIS methodology. Datasets will be integrated and interpreted to provide information on data vlues above. The main value being a likelyhood of Subsidence. This product will initially be developed at it’s lowest level of detail for the London area. BGS have a wealth of data for london this will enable this less detialed product to be validated and also enable the generation of a more detailed product usig the best data availible. One the methodology has been developed it will be pushed out to other areas of the ewuropean coastline. The initial input data that have been reviewed for their suitability for the European integration are listed below. Thesea re the datasets that have European wide availibility, It is expected that more detailed datasets will be used in areas where they are avaiilble. 1. Terrafirma Data 2. One Geology 3. One Geology Europe 4. Population Density (Geoland2) 5. The Urban Atlas (Geoland2) 6. Elevation Data a. SRTM b. GDEM c. GTOPO 30 d. NextMap Europe 7. MyOceans Sea Level Data 8. Storm Surge Locations 9. European Environment Agencya. Elevation breakdown 1km b. Corine Land Cover 2000 (CLC2000) coastline c. Sediment Discharges d. Shoreline e. Maritime Boundaries f. Hydrodynamics and Sea Level Rise g. Geomorphology, Geology, Erosion Trends and Coastal Defence Works h. Corine land cover 1990 i. Five metre elevation contour line 10. FutureCoas

An holistic approach to mapping the Quaternary geology and reconstructing the last glaciation of West County Mayo, Ireland, using satellite remote sensing and 'conventional' mapping techniques

PhDThe Quaternary geology of West County Mayo, Ireland, has appeared in the literature over 30 times since Close's account in 1867. Various glacial reconstructions have been proposed due to i) the complex sedimentology and morphology of the area, ii) different approaches having been adopted by researchers iii) models being tainted by theory-laden evidence as different glaciological concepts were in vogue at the time of publication. Corroboration of existing information was undertaken in this research along with de novo mapping and identification of new data. An holistic approach was adopted, with 'conventional' mapping techniques integrated with digital image processing of satellite imagery. Over 20OOkm2 were field-mapped where landforms such as drumlins, moraines, roche moutonnées, kames/kettle holes and eskers were recorded along with sedimentological data including till fabric analysis, deformation structure geometry, petrographic components, lithofacies etc. Radar (ERS-1) and optical multitemporal and multispectral Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper imagery were processed, evaluated and interpreted. Due to the absorption of H20 molecules in soil and plants between 1.55-1.751im, winter Landsat TM band 5 provided most information and was used for interpretation. Geological information from conventional mapping and digital remote sensing were integrated using an inversion model. The landscape was spatially divided into assemblages of landforms and relative chronologies were determined by analysing cross-cutting landforms. The data show that there was one ice mass with two 'domes' in the research area. The dome in Clew Bay had a north-south divide with ice flow towards the east in the eastern half of the bay and towards the west in the western half. The eastern margins of this dome diverted the Midlands ice to flow in a northerly direction. An older pattern of flow, towards the northwest, was recorded in the east of the area. The deposits indicate that a staged retreat occurred generally from north to south

Developing digital fieldwork technologies at the British Geological Survey

Geological Surveys are faced with budget constraints and calls for efficiency gains; the effective application of digital techniques is often seen as a route to meeting these demands while increasing the value of outcrop studies and reducing the inherent subsurface uncertainty. The British Geological Survey may be the oldest national Survey in the world (established in 1835); however, developing and implementing new, innovative and efficient technologies for fieldwork is a high priority. Efficient tools for capturing, integrating, manipulating and disseminating outcrop data and information are imperative to enable geoscientists to increase their understanding of geological processes and therefore to reduce subsurface uncertainty and risk. Systems for capturing structured digital field data and for visualizing and interacting with large datasets are increasingly being utilized by geoscientists in the UK and internationally. Augmented reality and unmanned aerial vehicles are amongst the developing technologies being explored for future operational implementation. This paper describes the digital field mapping (BGS·SIGMAmobile) and visualization (GeoVisionary) systems and refers to a case study outlining their contribution to reducing uncertainty and risk in hydrocarbon exploration

Risk information services for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in the Caribbean : service readiness document

This document specifies the EO information products / services to be delivered in support of the World Bank project (Handbook for the Assessment of Landslide and Flood Hazards and Risks to Support Development Processes, led by ITC Netherlands), and describes the scope and extent of assessment that will be carried out following production and delivery. It is to be reviewed and agreed by the WB TTL for the project (and local users, if applicable), and will form the basis of subsequent activities to be carried out in the service assessment phase

Hunting for landslides in St Lucia

Dr Colm Jordan and Dr Tom Dijkstra have both just returned from a trip to the Caribbean. This may sound like a glamorous location, but their work is associated with more serious matters

Environmental baseline monitoring for shale-gas development: insights for monitoring ground motion using InSAR analysis

Shale gas operations can be contentious, with a degree of uncertainty regarding the effects that they may, or may not, have on the environment. Several countries have moratoria on hydraulic fracturing until its potential effects can be understood better. One area of debate is whether operations could cause ground motion at the surface. This research monitored ground motion prior to operations and compared that baseline to the situation during and after shale gas operations. The test sites are the Vale of Pickering (North Yorkshire) and the Fylde (Lancashire) in the UK. Planning permission was granted in May 2016 to undertake hydraulic fracturing near Kirby Misperton (Vale of Pickering) and in August 2018 at Preston New Road in Lancashire. Hydraulic fracturing has only taken place at Lancashire as it was the only site to also get the hydraulic fracturing plan approved. Complementary Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) techniques were used to process archive and current satellite images to detect relative ground motion with millimetric accuracy in rural and semi-urban landcover. The SBAS, ISBAS and RapidSAR processing for the period from 1992 to 2019 (extending 24 years prior to hydraulic fracturing) identified broad regions with little or no surface motion, along with discrete zones of uplift or subsidence. Analysis of the average velocities and time-series data revealed that the motion, where it occurred, related to factors including compressible ground, groundwater abstraction and underground coal mining. This research concluded that the shale gas operations in Lancashire did not alter the baseline ground motion dynamics to date, as detected by InSAR. The successful application of InSAR for detecting and monitoring ground motion at shale gas sites in rural landcover in the UK, where radar coherence has traditionally been a major challenge, serves as a precedent for other regions where baseline monitoring is required

Risk information services for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in the Caribbean : mainstreaming opportunities

This document describes the assessment of opportunities for mainstreaming the satellite Earth Observation (EO) information products / services delivered by the British Geological Survey (BGS) via the framework of the European Space Agency (ESA) eoworld2 initiative. The products /services were delivered to the Caribbean region and the World Bank (WB) primarily via the ‘Caribbean Handbook on Risk Information Management’ project (CHARIM) which is financed by the EU-funded ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program, managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, led by the WB team, and implemented with the University of Twente, ITC and the local users from various Government Ministries in the Caribbean region. The prospect of increased exploitation and additional opportunities in further WB operations, programmes and initiatives is briefly addressed, as is an evaluation of further actions to be taken to further grow uptake of EO products / services across the WB in future

Risk information services for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in the Caribbean : service utility document

This document describes the assessment of the Earth Observation (EO) information products / services delivered by the British Geological Survey (BGS) via the framework of the European Space Agency (ESA) eoworld2 initiative. The products / services were delivered to the Caribbean region and the World Bank (WB) primarily via the ‘Caribbean Handbook on Risk Information Management’ project (CHARIM) which is financed by the EU-funded ACP-EU Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program, managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, led by the WB team, and implemented with the University of Twente, ITC and the local users from various Government Ministries in the Caribbean region

Nationwide monitoring of geohazards in Great Britain with InSAR: feasibility mapping based on ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT imagery

We model terrain visibility and topographic distortions to the ERS-1/2 SAR and ENVISAT ASAR IS2 satellite acquisition modes in Great Britain using the 5m NEXTMap DTM. Predictions of Persistent Scatterers (PS) densities identifiable over the landmass are drawn using the CORINE Land Cover 2006 dataset which is calibrated based on 6 PS datasets available for various areas of the UK. InSAR feasibility to monitor ground motions is discussed through the example of the Manchester area, with particular regard to landslide deposits in the Peak District

Simulating SAR geometric distortions and predicting Persistent Scatterer densities for ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT C-band SAR and InSAR applications: nationwide feasibility assessment to monitor the landmass of Great Britain with SAR imagery

We assess the feasibility of monitoring the landmass of Great Britain with satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery, by analysing ERS-1/2 SAR and ENVISAT IS2 Advanced SAR (ASAR) archive data availability, geometric distortions and land cover control on the success of (non-)interferometric analyses. Our assessment both addresses the scientific and operational question of whether a nationwide SAR-based monitoring of ground motion would succeed in Great Britain, and helps to understand controlling factors and possible solutions to overcome the limitations of undertaking SAR-based imaging of the landmass. This is the first time such a nationwide assessment is performed in preparation for acquisition and processing of SAR data in the United Kingdom, and any other country in the world. Analysis of the ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT archives reveals potential for multi-interferogram SAR Interferometry (InSAR) for the entirety of Britain using ERS-1/2 in descending mode, with 100% standard image frames showing at least 20 archive scenes available. ERS-1/2 ascending and both ENVISAT modes show potential for non-interferometric and single-pair InSAR for the vast majority of Britain, and multi-interferogram only for 13% to 38% of the available standard frames. Based on NEXTMap® Britain Digital Terrain Model (DTM) we simulate SAR layover, foreshortening and shadow to the ERS-1/2 and ENVISAT Lines-Of-Sight (LOS), and quantify changes of SAR distortions with variations in mode, LOS incidence angles and ground track angles, local terrain orientation, and the effect of scale due to the input DTM resolution. The simulation is extended to the ~ 230,000 km2 landmass, and shows limited control of local topography on the radar terrain visibility. According to the 50 m to 5 m DTM-based simulations, ~ 1.0–1.4% of Great Britain could potentially be affected by shadow and layover in each mode. Only ~ 0.02–0.04% overlapping between ascending and descending mode distortions is found, this indicating the negligible proportion of the landmass that cannot be monitored using either imaging mode. We calibrate the CORINE Land Cover 2006 (CLC2006) using Persistent Scatterer (PS) datasets available for London, Stoke-On-Trent, Newcastle and Bristol, to quantify land cover control on the PS distribution and characterise the CLC2006 classes in terms of the potential PS density they could provide. Despite predominance of rural land cover types, we predict potential for over 12.8 M monitoring targets for each acquisition mode using a set of image frames covering the entire landmass. We validate our assessment by processing with the Interferometric Point Target Analysis (IPTA) 55 ERS-1/2 SAR scenes depicting South Wales between 1992 and 1999. Although absolute differences between predicted and observed target density are revealed, relative densities and rankings among the various CLC2006 classes are found constant across the calibration and validation datasets. Rescaled predictions for Britain show potential for a total of 2.5 M monitoring targets across the landmass. We examine the use of the topographic and land cover feasibility maps for landslide studies in relation to the British Geological Survey's National Landslide Database and DiGMapGB mass movement layer. Building upon recent literature, we finally discuss future perspectives relating to the replication of our feasibility assessment to account for higher resolution SAR imagery, new Earth explorers (e.g., Sentinel-1) and improved processing techniques, showing potential to generate invaluable sources of information on land motions and geohazards in Great Britai