Monitoring Littoral Platform Downwearing using Differential SAR Interferometry
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Author(s)
Mider, Gosia
Lawrence, James
Mason, Philippa
Ghail, Richard
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
A methodology for the remotely sensed monitoring, measurement and quantification of littoral zone platform downwearing has been developed and is demonstrated, using Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar data and analysis. The research area is a 30 km section of coast in East Sussex, UK. This area combines a range of coastal environments and is characterised by the exposure of chalk along the cliffs and coastal platform. Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) has been employed, using 3.5 years of Sentinel-1 SAR data. The results demonstrate an average ground level change of −0.36 mm a−1 across the research area, caused by platform downwearing. Protected sections of coast are downwearing at an average of −0.33 mm a−1 compared to unprotected sections, which are downwearing more rapidly at an average rate of −1.10 mm a−1. The material properties of the chalk formations in the platform were considered, and in unprotected areas the weakest chalk types eroded at higher rates (−0.66 mm a−1) than the more resistant formations (−0.53 mm a−1). At a local scale, results were achieved in three studies to demonstrate variations between urban and rural environments. Individual persistent scatterer point values provided a near-continuous sequence of measurements, which allowed the effects of processes to be evaluated. The results of this investigation show an effective way of retrospective and ongoing monitoring of platform downwearing, erosion and other littoral zone processes, at regional, local and point-specific scales.
Date Acceptance
2020-10-03
Citation
Remote Sensing, 12 (19)
ISSN
2072-4292
Publisher
MDPI AG
Journal / Book Title
Remote Sensing
Volume
12
Issue
19
Copyright Statement
© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Sponsor
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Identifier
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/19/3243
Subjects
0203 Classical Physics
0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
0909 Geomatic Engineering
Publication Status
Published online
Article Number
3243
Date Publish Online
2020-10-06