Multidimensional time-series analysis of ground deformation from multiple InSAR data sets applied to Virunga Volcanic Province

A novel, multidimensional small baseline subset (MSBAS) methodology is presented for integration of multiple interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data sets for computation of 2- or 3-D time-series of deformation. The proposed approach allows the combination of all possible air-borne and space-borne SAR data acquired with different acquisition parameters, temporal and spatial sampling and resolution, wave-band and polarization. The produced time-series have improved temporal resolution and can be enhanced by applying either regularization or temporal filtering to remove high-frequency noise. We apply this methodology to map 2003–2010 ground deformation of the Virunga Volcanic Province (VVP), North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. The horizontal and vertical time-series of ground displacement clearly identify lava compaction areas, long-term deformation of Mt Nyamuragira and 2004, 2006 and 2010 pre- and coeruptive deformation. Providing that enough SAR data is available, the method opens new opportunities for detecting ground motion in the VVP and elsewhere.