On the use of persistent scatterers interferometry (PSI) in highly vegetated/agricultural areas for long term CO2 storage monitoring

CO₂ injection for storage activity results in ground surface deformation on long periods (several tens on years). Monitoring the evolution of the phenomenon is then required for risk management purposes. Space-borne InSAR can be regarded as an interesting alternative to ground based geodetic techniques (levelling). However, implementing interferometric analysis for the monitoring of surface deformation induced by deep CO₂ injection is highly hindered by the surface conditions i.e. natural terrains, either agricultural or vegetated areas. Such surface conditions are expected for the future large-scale industrial storage sites. In this presentation we will address the difficulties to adapt the PSI techniques to the specificities of CO₂ storage activities. We will investigate the characteristics of the monitored deformation and the possibility of improving the PSI method by densifying the PS network with DS and corner reflectors.