Comparative Study on Potential Landslide Identification with ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1A Data in Heavy Forest Reach, Upstream of the Jinsha River

Abstract

Many SAR satellites such as the ALOS-2 satellite and Sentinel-1A satellite can be used in Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to identify landslides. As their wavelengths are different, they can perform differently in the same area. In this study, we selected the alpine canyon heavy forest area of the Baishugong–Shangjiangxiang section of the Jinsha River with a strong uplift of faults and folds as the study area. The Small Baseline Subset (SBAS)–InSAR was used for landslide identification to compare the reliability and applicability of L-band ALOS-2 data and C-band Sentinel-1A data. In total, 13 potential landslides were identified, of which 12 potential landslides were identified by ALOS-2 data, two landslides were identified by Sentinel-1A data, and the Kongzhigong (KZG) landslide was identified by both datasets. Then, the field investigation was used to verify the identification results and analyze the genetic mechanism of four typical landslides. Both the Duila (DL) and KZG landslides are bedding slip, while the Jirenhe (JRH) and Maopo (MP) landslides are creep–pull failure. Then, the difference between ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1A data on KZG landslide was compared. A total of 35,961 deformation points on the KZG landslide were obtained using ALOS-2 data, which are relatively dense. Meanwhile, a total of 7715 deformation points were obtained by Sentinel-1A data, which are relatively scattered and seriously lacking, especially in areas with dense vegetation coverage. Comparing the advantages of ALOS-2 and Sentinel-1A data and the identification results of potential landslides, the reliability and applicability of ALOS-2 data in the identification of potential landslides in areas with dense vegetation cover and complex geological conditions were confirmed from the aspects of vegetation cover, topography, field investigation, and comparative analysis of typical landslides.