To study the correlation between ground surface deformation and influential factors in permafrost regions

the Qinghai-Tibet Engineering Corridor (QTEC) from Xidatan to Amdo was chosen as research object. The small baseline subset-interferometric synthetic aperture radar (SBAS-InSAR) technique was applied to obtain the ground surface deformation of the study area. Empirical models were used to calculate the influential factors of the study area

including volume ice content

mean annual ground temperature

and active layer thickness

with the help of geographic information system (GIS) technology. Simple and partial correlation analysis methods were used to analyze the correlation coefficient between ground surface deformation and influential factors. Results show that the ground surface annual deformation rate ranged from -33 mm/a to 15 mm/a

and the study area was mainly dominated by settlement

with the mean ground surface annual deformation rate in the whole study area about -13 mm/a. In the areas where the volume ice content was greater than 30% and the mean annual ground temperature was higher than -1 ℃

the ground surface deformation was closely related to the influential factors

with the partial correlation coefficient greater than 0.8 and the P value less than 0.05. In the areas where the volume ice content ranged from 10% to 30%

the mean annual ground temperature was between -2 ℃ and -1 ℃

and the active layer was thicker than 3 m

the ground surface deformation had a stronger relationship with the influential factors that the partial correlation coefficient was about 0.4-0.8 and the P value was less than 0.05. In general

the ground surface deformation had strong positive correlation with volume ice content and mean annual ground temperature that the mean partial correlation coefficient was about 0.75 and 0.70 respectively

and there was a moderate positive correlation between ground surface deformation and active layer thickness that the mean partial correlation coefficient was 0.42.