Authors
Cole Lombardi (CIRES), Kristy Tiampo (CIRES), Mike Willis (Virginia Tech), Adriana Alfaro (CIRES)

Abstract

Landslide and landslide-generated tsunamis along coastal fjords are a dangerous hazard in Greenland (Svennevig, 2019). After the devastating 2017 event at Karrat Fjord, Southern Avannaata municipality, Greenland, that led to the death of four people, massive property damage and the permanent evacuation of two villages, the risk of future slides and their resulting waves is a serious and ongoing concern for Greenlanders (Strzelecki and Jaskólski, 2020). Our research aims to constrain the location of potentially dangerous slopes in the southern region of Avannaata using InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) so that future hazard mitigation efforts can be optimized. SAR data are available from the Sentinel-1A/B satellite for the past eight years and processed into InSAR coherence images using ISCE. Using changes in coherence, we examine locations of potential landslides throughout the region (Jacquemart and Tiampo, 2021). We are attempting to determine how to best optimize the parameters (date range of images, orbit direction, resolution) for visualizing proof of landslides using this method. This research is part of the NSF NNA (Navigating the New Arctic) Greenland Hazards project which has the overarching goal of studying how a changing arctic climate impacts the natural hazards and, as a result, the people who live in Greenland. In future research for this project, we will expand this method to other regions in Greenland, with the eventual goal of obtaining results that provide complete coverage of the ice-free regions.