REGIONAL GEOHAZARD MONITORING TECHNIQUES UTILIZED IN THE APPALACHIAN REGION

Geohazards, such as landslides, ground subsidence, and stream-related hazards, can adversely affect infrastructure throughout the Appalachian region of the southeastern United States. Influenced by geology, topography, climate, and anthropogenic activity, the Appalachian region is specifically known to have a high occurrence of geohazard activity. This presentation will focus on the unfavorable interactions between geohazards and oil and gas pipelines, both of which are densely concentrated across the Appalachian region. Geohazard identification, continued monitoring, and subsequent mitigation have become critical steps to safely maintain pipeline systems in the Appalachian region. Multiple forms of regional geohazard monitoring can be utilized at large scale to provide cost effective and efficient ways to assess vast areas known to be susceptible to geohazards. Regional monitoring is often preformed over reoccurring timeframes to identify new geohazards and monitor known geohazards for recent activity. It can also provide a starting point to prioritize site-specific response plans for geohazards (i.e., ground reconnaissance, mitigation, localized monitoring). Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) change detection analysis, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) change detection analysis, and aerial reconnaissance are forms of regional geohazard monitoring currently being used by the pipeline industry. LiDAR and InSAR change detection analysis both evaluate changes in the ground surface elevation over time, with LiDAR analysis utilizing digital elevation model (DEM) data and InSAR analysis utilizing satellite data. Aerial reconnaissance, which is typically performed from a helicopter flown along a pipeline alignment, allows for the visual identification of changes to the ground surface. Each of these techniques can also be used for geohazard identification and monitoring for other types of long, linear infrastructure, such as roadways, railroads, and transmission lines. Case studies will be presented on pipeline systems within the Appalachian basin where regional geohazard monitoring techniques are currently utilized.