Satellite interferometry for landslide detection in the peri-Adriatic area

Advanced multi-temporal interferometry (MTI) techniques are being increasingly used in landslide assessment, as they can provide precise (mm-cm resolution) measurements of very slow ground surface displacements for huge areas with limited vegetation cover. We illustrate the potential of high resolution MTI for wide-area and local-scale detection of slope and associated infrastructure instability hazards in the peri-Adriatic region. This is done by presenting MTI applications to two landslide-prone mountainous areas characterized by different geomorphic, climatic and vegetation conditions, and hence by variable density and distribution of potential radar targets: the eastern-most part of the Southern Apennines and the mountains in central Albania. The results demonstrate that even in such scarcely urbanized areas MTI can provide valuable information on the presence of slope movements that locally affect small human settlements and road network. The gaps in satellite-derived information, especially evident in the more forested Albanian mountains, suggest that MTI could be most profitably exploited in the reconnaissance stage of a slope hazard assessment, to be followed by more detailed investigation and monitoring of sites at risk.