SDRadar translational landslides

Landslides are geological disasters widespread in the world, affecting approximately 4.8 million people and causing more than 18000 deaths between 1998 and 2017 [1]. Penipe is one of the cities in Ecuador most affected by landslides, mainly due to climatic conditions. For this reason, a SDRadar system was designed to detect risks by measuring the relative permittivity of soils of the Andepts subtype in areas prone to landslides in Penipe. The behavior of translational landslides was characterized through a Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) radar, operating at 3 GHz, and using GNU Radio and Matlab for information processing. Soil samples were extracted from Penipe to vary their humidity and inclination in a controlled environment, parameterizing the risk levels according to the permittivity and land displacement. Subsequently, its performance was evaluated in areas with a history of landslides in Nabuzo-Penipe. The results demonstrated moderate humidity is important for soil compaction, regardless of the slope. However, high concentration or extreme lack of water considerably increases the risk of landslides in slopes greater than 45°. These results could be validated by comparing the records of the serious landslides occurred in June 2024 in Ecuador, proving this system would prevent future disasters.

滑坡是全球分布广泛的地质灾害，1998年至2017年间累计影响约480万人，造成超过1.8万人死亡[1]。佩尼佩（Penipe）是厄瓜多尔受滑坡灾害影响最严重的城市之一，其受灾主因是当地气候条件。为此，研究团队设计了一套软件定义雷达（SDRadar）系统，通过测量佩尼佩滑坡易发区域内安德土（Andepts）亚型土壤的相对介电常数，实现滑坡风险探测。本研究采用工作于3 GHz频段的调频连续波（Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave, FMCW）雷达，并借助GNU Radio与Matlab完成信息处理，对平移式滑坡的运动特征进行了表征。研究人员从佩尼佩采集土壤样本，在可控环境中调节其含水率与倾斜角度，并依据介电常数与地表位移参数化划分滑坡风险等级。随后，研究团队在纳布佐-佩尼佩（Nabuzo-Penipe）的既往滑坡发生区域对该系统的性能开展了实测评估。研究结果表明，无论坡度大小，适度含水率对土壤压实均具有积极作用；但含水率过高或极度匮乏时，坡度大于45°的区域滑坡风险会显著升高。通过比对2024年6月厄瓜多尔发生的严重滑坡灾害记录，可验证本研究结果的正确性，证实该系统能够有效防范未来同类地质灾害的发生。