Published

2015-05-01

Monitoring ground subsidence in urban environments: M-30 tunnels under Madrid City (Spain)

Monitorización de subsidencias del terreno en entornos urbanos: túneles de la M-30 en la ciudad de Madrid (España)

Keywords:

Differential SAR interferometry, DInSAR, subsidence, tunnels, urban areas (en)
Interferometría diferencial SAR (DInSAR), subsidencia, túneles, áreas urbanas. (es)

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Authors

  • Rubén Martínez Marín Polytechnic University of Madrid.
  • Eleanor Sillerico Doctorate student. Polytechnic University of Madrid.
  • Pablo Ezquerro Doctorate student Polytechnic University of Madrid.
  • Miguel Marchamalo PhD and Professor. Polytechnic University of Madrid.
  • Gerardo Herrera PhD and Researcher. InSAR laboratory and Modeling group (InSARlab), Geoscience research department, Geological Survey of Spain (IGME)
  • Javier Duro PhD and Professor. Polytechnic University of Madrid.
Big cities improvement usually requires the construction of large underground infrastructures, in order to ensure proper communication and optimize urban use. Monitoring ground subsidences is therefore one of the main challenges in changing urban environments. The "Madrid Río" project (2003-2008) is an effort to reclaim the riverfront land and improve the busy M-30 beltway that involved the construction of 7.93 km of tunnels underneath the southern center of Madrid City. This paper presents a remote-sensing approach to monitor ground subsidences induced by tunneling excavation.  The Persistent Scatterers Interferometry technique (PSI) was used to estimate subsidence and displacement time series from Synthetic Aperture Radar images, acquired between August 2003 and April 2008 from ENVISAT.  Remote sensed results were compared to traditional extensometric measures, fitting adequately for selected sectors. Spatial analysis of displacements allowed evaluating impacts of tunneling on surrounding buildings and facilities, highlighting critical areas. The availability of a spatial distribution of displacements in a time series allowed analyzing longitudinal, cross-sectional and temporal dynamics. The main limitations during this work were the heterogeneous spatial distribution of Persistent Scatterers, the absence of measurement points in work areas, the threshold for velocity detection and low temporal resolution of ENVISAT images. Nevertheless, these limitations of DInSAR for monitoring infrastructures are overcome by actual satellites, being a complementary technique with an exceptional added value and temporal analysis capability.

Mejorar las grandes ciudades requiere la construcción de importantes infraestructuras subterráneas para asegurar la movilidad y la optimización del uso urbano del suelo. La monitorización es uno de los grandes retos del mega-proyecto “Madrid Río” (2003-2008). El soterramiento de la autovía de circunvalación M-30, que discurre junto al río Manzanares, requirió la ejecución de dos túneles de 7,93 km en la zona sureste de la ciudad. Este artículo presenta los resultados del estudio de las subsidencias que dichas obras indujeron en el terreno, mediante el uso de la técnica DInSAR (Interferometría diferencial con radar de apertura sintética). Esta técnica fue aplicada a las imágenes radar ENVISAT tomadas entre agosto de 2003 y abril de 2008, utilizando la técnica PSI (Persistent Scatterers Interferometry). Los resultados obtenidos se compararon con las medidas de los extensómetros tradicionales instalados en la zona, llegando a la conclusión de que esta técnica produce unos buenos resultados y es complementaria de cualquier otra tradicional. El análisis espacial de los desplazamientos permitió evaluar el impacto de la ejecución de los túneles en los edificios e infraestructuras, destacando las áreas críticas. La disponibilidad de la distribución de los desplazamientos en el tiempo permitió realizar un análisis longitudinal, transversal y dinámico-temporal. Las principales limitaciones que se encontraron durante el desarrollo de este trabajo fueron la distribución heterogénea de los PSI, la ausencia de puntos de control en la zona de trabajo, el umbral para detectar la velocidad de variación y la baja resolución temporal de las imágenes ENVISAT. A pesar de estas limitaciones esta técnica complementaria ha demostrado ser útil para monitorizar movimientos de estructuras con un excepcional valor añadido y capacidad de análisis temporal.

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Copyright (c) 2015 Rubén Martínez Marín, Eleanor Sillerico, Pablo Ezquerro, Miguel Marchamalo, Gerardo Herrera, Javier Duro

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