Monitoring of landslide-prone areas using radar data: a case study of the Right Loess Plateau of the Dnipro River (Ukraine)

The right bank of the Kaniv Reservoir, which belongs to the Right Loess Plateau of the Dnipro River in Ukraine, is highly susceptible to landslides due to the geological features combined with climate change and human activities. Most landslides related complex morphostructure with central, characteristic elements was formed: a loess plateau with unstable slopes; the right-bank valley of the Dnipro River with erosive and accumulative terraces; ridge-beam, erosion and sliding. Human activities, namely clay mining, construction, and the expansion of agricultural lands induce landslides by altering slope stability. The current research aimed to assess landslide hazards by applying the DInSAR methodology, including the influence of slope, lithology, precipitation, and temperature regime. Optical sensors have known limitations due to their inability to capture Earth’s surface. The alternatives are radar sensors capable of seeing through the clouds and working independently of daylight. Integrating DInSAR technique data with classical geomorphological research helped define the kinematics and evolution of the landslides and establish their triggering factors in the Right Loess Plateau of the Dnipro River. Using measures in a seasonal change of temperature fluctuation and precipitation quantity can detect the outcrop, not overgrown vegetation areas, illustrating that radar data can detect landslide-prone areas.