Open AccessMonitoring of the Recovery Process of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant from VHR SAR Images
Author(s) -
Wen Li,
Fumio Yamazaki,
Tadashi Sasagawa
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of disaster research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1883-8030
pISSN - 1881-2473
DOI - 10.20965/jdr.2016.p0236
Subject(s) - remote sensing , nuclear power plant , synthetic aperture radar , environmental science , shadow (psychology) , footprint , satellite , radar , fukushima nuclear accident , nuclear power , computer science , geology , engineering , aerospace engineering , physics , nuclear physics , psychology , paleontology , telecommunications , psychotherapist
The Mw9.0 earthquake hitting the Tohoku area on Japan's Pacific coast on March 11, 2011, triggered huge tsunamis and a Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant breakdown. Due to high radiation levels, plant damage could only be assessed from satellite images. Our study involves four very-high-resolution (VHR) TerraSAR-X/TanDEX-X SAR intensity images taken under different acquisition conditions and used to try and determine reactor building damage. Layover and radar shadow areas were specified first based on building footprint and height, then backscattering patterns in these areas were modeled by introducing sectional views of the target building. Criteria for detecting damage from individual SAR scenes were used to compare simulated backscattering patterns to actual SAR intensity images. Damage to other reactor buildings was then identified based on these criteria. Results were confirmed by comparisons to two optical VHR WorldView-2 images and ground photos.