Deriving 3-D Time-Series Ground Deformations Induced by Underground Fluid Flows with InSAR: Case Study of Sebei Gas Fields, China

Multi-temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (MT-InSAR) technique has proven to be a powerful tool for the monitoring of time-series ground deformations along the line-of-sight (LOS) direction. However, the one-dimensional (1-D) measurements cannot provide comprehensive information for interpreting the related geo-hazards. Recently, a novel method has been proposed to map the three-dimensional (3-D) deformation associated with underground fluid flows based on single-track InSAR LOS measurements and the deformation modeling associated with the Green’s function. In this study, the method is extended in temporal domain by exploiting the MT-InSAR measurements, and applied for the first time to investigate the 3-D time series deformation over Sebei gas field in Qinghai, Northwest China with 37 Sentinel-1 images acquired during October 2014–July 2017. The estimated 3-D time series deformations provide a more complete view of ongoing deformation processes as compared to the 1-D time series deformations or the 3-D deformation velocities, which is of great importance for assessing the possible geohazards. In addition, the extended method allows for the retrieval of time series of fluid volume changes due to the gas extraction in the Sebei field, which agrees well with those from the PetroChina Qinghai Oilfield Company Yearbooks (PQOCYs). This provides a new way to study the variations of subsurface fluids at unprecedented resolution.