Abstract
Interferometric synthetic aperture radar phase data include not only signals due to crustal movements, but also those associated with microwave propagation delay through the atmosphere. In particular, the effect of water vapor can generate apparent signals in the order of a few centimeters or more, and prevent us from detecting such geophysical signals as those due to secular crustal deformation. To examine if and to what extent numerical weather model (NWM) outputs are helpful to reduce the tropospheric delay signals at spatial scales of 5–50 km wavelengths, we compared three approaches of tropospheric signal reduction, using 54 interferograms in central Hokkaido, Japan. The first approach is the conventional topography-correlated delay correction that is based on the regional digital elevation model (DEM). The second approach is based on the Japan Meteorological Agency’s operational meso-scale analysis model (MSM) data, where we compute tropospheric delays and subtract them from the interferogram. However, the MSM data are available at predefined epochs and their spatial resolution is about 10 km; therefore, we need to interpolate both temporally and spatially to match with interferograms. Expecting to obtain a more physically plausible reduction of the tropospheric effects, we ran a 1-km mesh high-resolution numerical weather model WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting model) by ourselves, using the MSM data as the initial and boundary conditions. The third approach is similar to the second approach, except that we make use of the WRF-based tropospheric data. Results show that if the topography-correlated phases are significant, both the conventional DEM-based approach and the MSM-based approach reveal comparable performances. However, when the topography-correlated phases are insignificant, none of the approaches can efficiently reduce the tropospheric phases. Although it could reduce the tropospheric signals in a local area, in none of the case studies did the WRF model produce the “best” performance. Whereas the global atmospheric model outputs are shown to be effective in reducing long-wavelength tropospheric signals, we consider that further improvements are needed for the initial and boundary condition data for high-resolution NWM, so that the NWM-based approach will become more reliable even in the case of a non-stratified troposphere.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bevis M, Businger S, Chiswell S, Herring TA, Anthes RA, Rocken C, Ware RH (1994) GPS meteorology: mapping zenith wet delays onto precipitable water. J Appl Meteorol 33:379–386
Berardino P, Fornaro G, Lanari R, Sansostic E (2002) A new algorithm for surface deformation monitoring based on small baseline differential SAR interferograms. IEEE Trans Geosci Remote Sensing 40(11):2375–2383
Beauducel F, Briole P, Froger J (2000) Volcano-wide fringes in ERS synthetic aperture radar interferograms of Etna (1992–1998): deformation or tropospheric effect? J Geophys Res 105(B7):16391–16402. doi:10.1029/2000JB900095
Bürgmann R, Schmidt D, Nadeau RM, d’Alessio M, Fielding E, Manaker D, McEvilly TV, Murray MH (2000) Earthquake potential along the northern Hayward fault, California. Science 289:1178–1182. doi:10.1126/science.289.5482.1178
Cavalié O, Lasserre C, Doin MP, Peltzer G, Jianbao S, Xiwei X, Shen ZK (2008) Measurement of interseismic strain across the Haiyuan fault (Gansu, China), by InSAR. Earth Planet Sci Lett 275:246–257
Chan ST, Chan TF, Wong WK (2010) An intercomparison of WRF-ARW and JMA-NHM performance in prediction of tropical cyclones over the South China Sea in 2008. In: 29th conference on hurricanes and tropical meteorology. American Meteorological Society
Doin M, Lasserre C, Peltzer G, Cavalié O, Doubre C (2009) Corrections of stratified tropospheric delays in SAR interferometry: validation with global atmospheric models. J Appl Geophys 69:35–50
Elgered G (1993) Tropospheric radio path delay from ground-based microwave radiometry. In: Janssen MA (ed) Atmospheric remote sensing by microwave radiometry, pp 215–258
Elliot JR, Biggs J, Parsons B, Wright TJ (2008) InSAR slip rate determination on the Altyn Tagh Fault, northern Tibet, in the presence of topographically correlated atmospheric delays. Res Lett 35:L12309. doi:10.1029/2008GL033659
Ferreti A, Prati C, Rocca F (2000) Nonlinear subsidence rate estimation using permanent scatterers in differential SAR interferometry. IEEE Trans Geosci Remote Sensing 38(5):2202–2212
Foster J, Brooks B, Cherubini T, Shacat C, Businger S, Werner C (2006) Mitigating atmospheric noise for InSAR using a high resolution weather model. Geophys Res Lett 33:L16304
Fournier T, Pritchard ME, Finnegan N (2011) Accounting for atmospheric delays in InSAR data in a search for long-wavelength deformation in South America. IEEE Trans Geosci Remote Sensing 99:1–12. doi:10.1109/TGRS.2011.2139217
Fujiwara S, Rosen PA, Tobita M, Murakami M (1998) Crustal deformation measurements using repeat-pass JERS 1 synthetic aperture radar interferometry near the Izu Peninsula, Japan. J Geophys Res 103:2411–2426
Fujiwara S, Tobita M, Murakami M, Nakagawa H, Rosen PA (1999) Baseline determination and correction of atmospheric delay induced by topography of SAR interferometry for precise surface change detection (in Japanese with abstract and figure captions in English). J Geol Soc Jpn 45(4):315–325
Furuya M, Mueller K, Wahr J (2007) Active salt tectonics in the Nedles Distinct, Canyonlands (Utah) as detected by interferometric synthetic aperture radar and point target analysis. J Geophys Res 112:B06418. doi:10.1029/2006JB004302
Furuya M (2011) SAR interferometry. In: Gupta H (ed) Encyclopedia of solid earth geophysics, part 16, pp 1041–1049
Goldstein RM, Engelhardt H, Kamb B, Frolich RM (1993) Sattelite radar interferometry for monitoring ice-sheet motion—application to an antarctic ice stream. Science 262:1525–1530. doi:10.1126/science.262.5139.1525
Goldstein RM, Werner CL (1998) Radar interferogram filtering for geophysical applications. Geophys Res Lett 25. doi:10.1029/1998GL900033
Gray AL, Matter KE, Sofko G (2000) Influence of ionospheric electron density fluctuations on satellite radar interferometry. Goephys Res Lett 27:1451–1454
Hanssen RF (2001) Radar interferometry: data interpretation and error analysis. Kluwer Academic Press, Dordrecht
Hayashi S, Aranami K, Saito K (2008) Statistical verification of short term NWP by NHM and WRF-ARW with 20 km horizontal resolution around Japan and southeast. Asia SOLA 4:136
Hobiger T, Ichikawa R, Koyama Y, Kondo T (2008) Fast and accurate ray-tracing algorithms for real-time space geodetic applications using numerical weather models. J Geophys Res 133:D20302. doi:10.1029/2008JD010503
Hobiger T, Kinoshita Y, Shimizu S, Ichikawa R, Furuya M, Kondo T, Koyama Y (2010) On the importance of accurately ray-traced troposphere corrections for Interferometric SAR data. J Geodesy. doi:10.1007/s00190-010-0393-3
Hooper A, Zebker H, Segall P, Kampes B (2004) A new method for measuring deformation on volcanoes and other natural terrains using InSAR persistent scatterers. Geophys Res Lett 31:L23611. doi:10.1029/2004GL021737
Jolivet R, Grandin R, Lasserre C, Doin M-P, Peltzer G (2011) Systematic InSAR tropospheric phase delay corrections from global meteorological reanalysis data. Geophys Res Lett 38:L17311
Li Z, Muller J-P, Cross P, Fielding EJ (2005) Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) atmospheric correction: GPS, moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS), and InSAR integration. J. Geophys. Res 110:B03410. doi:10.1029/2004JB003446
Li Z, Fielding EJ, Cross P, Muller J-P (2006) Interferometric synthetic aperture radar atmospheric correction: medium resolution imaging spectrometer and advanced synthetic aperture radar integration. Geophys Res Lett 33:L06816. doi:10.1029/2005GL025299
Lin YN, Simons M, Hetland EA, Muse P, DiCaprio C (2010) A multiscale approach to estimating topographically correlated propagation delays in radar interferograms. Geochem Geophys Geosyst 11:Q09002. doi:10.1029/2010GC003228
Massonnet D, Rossi M, Carmona C, Adragna F, Peltzer G, Feigl K, Raboute T (1993) The displacement field of the Landers earthquake mapped by radar interferometry. Nature 364:138–142
Massonnet D, Feigl KL (1998) Interferometry and its application to changes in the earth’s surface. Rev Geophys 36(4):441–500. doi:10.1029/97RG03139
Meyer F, Bamler R, Jakowski N, Fritz T (2006) Methods for small scale ionospheric TEC mapping from broadband L-band SAR data. In: Proc. IGARSS, Denver, CO., pp 3735–3738
Onn F, Zebker HA (2006) Correction for interferometric synthetic aperture radar atmospheric phase artifacts using time series of zenith wet delay observations from a GPS network. J Geophys Res 111:B09102. doi:10.1029/2005/JB004012
Otsuka A, Kobayashi S, Seko H (2002) A wind-induced delay pattern in SAR interferometry and numerical simulation. J Jpn Soc Photogramm Remote Sensing 41(4):85–98
Ozawa T, Shimizu S (2010) Atmospheric noise reduction in InSAR analysis using numerical weather model (in Japanese with abstract and figure captions in English). J Geol Soc Jpn 56(4):137–147
Puysségur B, Michel R, Avouac J (2007) Tropospheric phase delay in interferometric synthetic aperture radar estimated from meteorological model and multispectral imagery. J Geophys Res 112:B05419. doi:10.1029/2006JB004352
Shimada M (1999) Correction of the satellite’s state vector and the atmospheric excess path delay in the SAR interferometry—an application to surface deformation detection (in Japanese with abstract and figure captions in English). J Geol Soc Jpn 45(4):327–346
Shimada M, Muraki Y, Otsuka Y (2008) Discovery of anomalous stripes over the Amazon by the PALSAR onboard ALOS satellite. In: Proc. IEEE IGARSS, pp II-387–II-390
Simons S, Rosen PA (2009) Interferometric synthetic aperture radar. In: Herring ET (ed) Geodesy, treatise on geophysics, vol 3, pp 391–446
Skamaroch WC, Klemp JB, Dudhia J, Gill DO, Barker DM, Duda MG, Huang XY, Wang W, Powers JG (2008) A description of the advanced research WRF version 3, NCAR technical note, NCAR/TN-475+STR. http://www.mmm.ucar.edu/wrf/users/docs/arw_v3.pdf
Thayer GD (1974) An improved equation for the radio refractive index of air. Radio Sci 9(10):803–807
Wadge G, Webley PW, James IN, Bingley R, Dodson A, Waugh S, Veneboer T, Puglisi G, Mattia M, Baker D, Edwards SC, Edwards SJ, Clarke PJ (2002) Atmospheric models, GPS and InSAR measurements of the tropospheric water vapour field over Mount Etna. Geophys Res Lett 29:2002GL015159
Wadge G, Zhu M, Holley RJ, James IN, Clark PA, Wang C, Woodage MJ (2010) Correction of atmospheric delay effects in radar interferometry using a nested mesoscale atmospheric model. J Appl Geophys 72:141–149
Zebker HA, Rosen PA, Hensley S (1997) Atmospheric artifacts in interferometric synthetic aperture radar surface deformation and topographic maps. J Geophys Res 102:7547–7564
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, under its Observation and Research Program for Prediction of Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions. PALSAR level 1.0 data in this study were provided from the PALSAR Interferometry Consortium to Study our Evolving Land surface (PIXEL) under cooperative research contracts between the Earthquake Research Institute, the University of Tokyo and JAXA. The ownership of PALSAR data belongs to JAXA and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The MSM data were acquired from GPV Archive Site (http://database.rish.kyoto-u.ac.jp/arch/jmadata/) managed by the Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University. We acknowledge three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kinoshita, Y., Furuya, M., Hobiger, T. et al. Are numerical weather model outputs helpful to reduce tropospheric delay signals in InSAR data?. J Geod 87, 267–277 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-012-0596-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-012-0596-x