INVESTIGATION OF THE GROUND MOTION NEAR THE LEANING TOWER OF BAD FRANKENHAUSEN USING SENTINEL-1 PERSISTENT SCATTERER INTERFEROMETRY

Abstract. Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) is a well-established technique for monitoring millimetre deformation of the Earth’s surface. The availability of free and open SAR data with a repeat cycle of 6–12 days from the Copernicus mission Sentinel-1, allows PSI to be used complementary to traditional surveying techniques. Whilst the data resolution may not allow a precise determination of the geolocation of the occurring deformation, observed deformation patterns can be analysed with auxiliary data and often show correlation with the location of geophysical processes or human activities. In this paper, we investigate the particular case of the church tower of Bad-Frankenhausen in the north of the Free State Thuringia, Germany, with PSI processing of Sentinel-1 data. Both pass directions (descending and ascending) are considered, and different motion models are tested in order to retrieve the most accurate displacement pattern around the church location. Deformation up to −6 mm/yr are observed near the church location for the period 2016–2019 in ascending direction.