geosciences Article Differential SAR Interferometry Using Sentinel-1 Imagery-Limitations in Monitoring Fast Moving Landslides: The Case Study of Cyprus Marios Tzouvaras 1,2,* , Chris Danezis 1,2 and Diofantos G. Hadjimitsis 1,2 1 Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cyprus University of Technology, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus;
[email protected] (C.D.);
[email protected] (D.G.H.) 2 ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence, 3036 Limassol, Cyprus * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 18 May 2020; Accepted: 15 June 2020; Published: 18 June 2020 Abstract: Cyprus, being located on the Mediterranean fault zone, exhibits a unique geodynamic regime since its tectonic evolution is driven by the interaction of the Eurasian and African plate. Besides its seismological interest, many active landslides and slope instabilities in areas of steep topography occur in Cyprus, having substantial impact on the built environment, by posing an imminent threat for entire settlements and critical infrastructure. Moreover, extreme meteorological events occur rarely, like severe rainfall and thunderstorms, that combined with the geological properties in some areas and the seismically stressed ground, can lead to landslides, causing severe damages to critical infrastructure. In the present study, the DInSAR methodology is applied for the detection of two individual landslide events that were triggered by heavy rainfall in Limassol and Paphos Districts in February 2019. Six co-event interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) pairs were used to produce displacement maps in vertical and east-west directions to study the resulting slope deformations. The above are carried out using Sentinel-1 imagery that are freely provided under the Copernicus umbrella.