Application of InSAR satellite method for mapping of active landslides in Bulgaria – opportunities and perspectives

Abstract. Landslides are geological phenomena that are spread on Bulgarian territory mainly along the northern Black Sea coast and on the right banks of the Danube in the western part of the country. Mitigation of the negative effects of these destructive geological phenomena is the compilation of inventory maps of their distribution and registers with the main characteristics of the individual landslides. Conventional methods for making such maps are time-consuming and resource-intensive. Modern satellite, air and ground-based remote sensing technologies facilitate the production of landslide maps, reducing the time and resources required to compile and systematically update them. In this paper, we demonstrate the applicability of Differential Sentinel-1A satellite SAR interferometry (DInSAR) to assess the movement activity and use the information for further updating the national landslide inventories in Bulgaria. We perform several analyses based on multi-temporal InSAR techniques of Sentinel-1A data over selected areas prone to landslides. The use of new opportunities for free access to satellite images, which can be applied in conjunction with other methods, greatly facilitates the processes of inventory, mapping and study of landslides.