Ground subsidence in Semarang-Indonesia investigated by ALOS–PALSAR satellite SAR interferometry

The focus of this study is investigation of land subsidence in Semarang city Indonesia with the use of Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) of ALOS–PALSAR satellite. We processed 22 ascending SAR images during January 2007 to January 2009 plus two descending SAR images acquired on 6 June 2006 and 17 June 2007. The time series analysis of interferometry was performed by using 12 pairs of interferogram relative to 21 January 2007 and 8 pairs of interferogram relative 24 January 2008. The topographic phase contribution was removed using the 3-arcsec (90 m) Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), Digital Elevation Model (DEM). We performed precision baseline estimation to vanish the fringes from baseline effect between master and slave data. In order to investigate the contribution of horizontal movement in our analysis, we constructed two interferograms of ascending orbit and descending orbit. The time series results exhibited that the area is subsiding continuously without a significant seasonal effect during January 2007 to January 2009. The land subsidence observed from InSAR data is approximately up to 8 cm/year. Three cross sections on image displacement show the extreme land subsidence occurred especially along the coastal area and lowland area where this area is considered as industrial with high-density settlements, consuming a lot of groundwater, and land is changed from agriculture and cultivation purposes to industrial estates and house. Our result also shows a consistency with historical pattern of subsidence measured by leveling data. The results highlight the potential use of InSAR measurements to provide better constraints for land subsidence in Semarang city Indonesia.     

Using differential SAR interferometry to map land subsidence: a case study in the Pingtung Plain of SW Taiwan

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (InSAR) is a geodetic tool widely applied in the studies of earth-surface deformation. This technique has the benefits of high spatial resolution and centimetre-scale accuracy. Differential SAR interferometry (DInSAR) is used to measure ground deformation with repeat-pass SAR images. This study applied DInSAR and persistent scatterers InSAR (PSInSAR) for detecting land subsidence in the Pingtung Plain, southern Taiwan, between 1995 and 2000. In recent years, serious land subsidence occurred along coastal regions of Taiwan as a consequence of over-pumping of underground water. Results of this study revealed that the critical subsidence region is located on the coast near the estuary of Linpien River. It is also found that subsidence was significantly higher during the dry season than the wet season. The maximum annual subsidence rate of the dry season is up to −11.51 cm/year in critical subsidence region and the vertical land movement rate is much slower during the wet season. The average subsidence rates in wet and dry seasons are −0.31 and −3.37 cm/year, respectively. As a result, the subsidence rate in dry seasons is about 3 cm larger than in wet seasons.     

Monitoring land subsidence in Semarang,Indonesia

Semarang is one of the biggest cities in Indonesia and nowadays suffering from extended land subsidence, which is due to groundwater withdrawal, to natural consolidation of alluvium soil and to the load of constructions. Land subsidence causes damages to infrastructure, buildings, and results in tides moving into low-lying areas. Up to the present, there has been no comprehensive information about the land subsidence and its monitoring in Semarang. This paper examines digital elevation model (DEM) and benchmark data in Geographic Information System (GIS) raster operation for the monitoring of the land subsidence in Semarang. This method will predict and quantify the extent of subsidence in future years. The future land subsidence prediction is generated from the expected future DEM in GIS environment using ILWIS package. The procedure is useful especially in areas with scarce data. The resulting maps designate the area of land subsidence that increases rapidly and it is predicted that in 2020, an area of 27.5 ha will be situated 1.5–2.0 m below sea level. This calculation is based on the assumption that the rate of land subsidence is linear and no action is taken to protect the area from subsidence.     

Monitoring ground subsidence induced by salt mining in the city of Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Salt mining induced ground subsidence is a major hazard in the city of Tuzla (Northeastern sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina) and its surroundings since 1950, when solution mining of salt deposits by boreholes began. An analysis of the large (and never before processed) amount of topographical data collected during two periods: from 1956 to the Balkan War, and from 1992 to 2003 has been made. The analysis reveals a cumulative subsidence as high as 12 m during the whole period, causing damage to buildings and infrastructures within an area that includes a large portion of the historical town. Human-induced subsidence, (with rates up to 40 cm/year in the most developed area), has been investigated to recognize the areas affected by the sinking phenomenon and to produce a subsidence hazard. The time series of topographical observations have been enlarged by conducting new surveys in the urban area by modern space-geodesy methodologies, such as static relative GPS (Global Positioning System) and high resolution satellite imageries. The GPS monitoring started in 2004 and detected a decrease in the subsidence rates to 20 cm/year related to the reduction of salt exploitation. There is close correlation between the average subsidence rate and the annual amount of salt extracted.     

海河流域沉降区地下水资源承载力评价指标体系

海河流域大部分地区资源性缺水,历史上过度开采地下水导致了一系列的地质环境灾害,尤其是流域东部天津地区的地面沉降问题,是经济社会发展和地下水资源承载力不相协调调的具体表现。在有效进行地下水资源管理来防治地面沉降的过程中,面临的首要问题之一就是地下水资源承载力的评估。探讨了此前天津地区地下水环境容量指标在地下水资源承载力评价中的局限性,并提出“土水比”评价指标,构建“土水比”指标体系。     

Threat of land subsidence in and around Kolkata City and East Kolkata Wetlands,West Bengal,India

This paper attempts to estimate the possible rate of land subsidence of Kolkata City including Salt Lake City and the adjoining East Kolkata Wetlands located at the lower part of the deltaic alluvial plain of South Bengal basin. Demand of groundwater for drinking, agricultural and industrial purposes has increased due to rapid urbanization. The subsurface geology consists of Quaternary sediments comprising a succession of clay, silty clay and sand of various grades. Groundwater occurs mostly under confined condition except in those places where the top aquitard has been obliterated due to the scouring action of past channels. Currently, the piezometric head shows a falling trend and it may be accelerated due to further over-withdrawal of groundwater resulting in land subsidence. The estimated mean land subsidence rate is 13.53 mm/year and for 1 m drop in the piezometric head, the mean subsidence is 3.28 cm. The surface expression of the estimated land subsidence is however, cryptic because of a time lag between the settlement of the thick low-permeable aquitard at the top and its surface expression. Therefore, groundwater of the cities and wetland areas should be developed cautiously based on the groundwater potential to minimize the threat of land subsidence.     

Land subsidence in Tianjin,China

Land subsidence has been affecting Tianjin for the past 50 years. It leads to comprehensive detrimental effects on society, the economy and natural environment. Overpumping of groundwater is the main cause. In 2008, the maximum cumulative subsidence reached 3.22 m and the total affected area nearly 8,000 km². The subsidence reached its most critical state in the early 1980s when it occurred at a rate as high as 110 mm/year. At the same time, groundwater extraction had also reached a maximum of 1,200 million m³. By importing the Luan River to Tianjin and restricting exploitation of groundwater, hydraulic heads gradually recovered after 1986 in all aquifers, and this has continued to the present in the second aquifer. The subsidence rate in urban areas dropped to 10–15 mm/year. The area of groundwater extraction expanded to the suburban area with economic growth in the 1990s, and it was shifted to the third and fourth aquifers. At present, with a subsidence rate of 30–40 mm/year, four new suburban subsidence centers have been formed. Several measures were adopted to mitigate and prevent land subsidence disasters. These included restricting groundwater exploitation, groundwater injection, prohibiting use in the specific zone, a pricing policy for water resources, advocating water-saving technology, and strict enforcement of groundwater laws. Although the subsidence area is still increasing slowly, the subsidence rate is being controlled.     

Land subsidence of Jakarta (Indonesia) and its relation with urban development

Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia with a population of about 9.6 million people, inhabiting an area of about 660 square-km. In the last three decades, urban development of Jakarta has grown very rapidly in the sectors of industry, trade, transportation, real estate, and many others. This exponentially increased urban development introduces several environmental problems. Land subsidence is one of them. The resulted land subsidence will also then affect the urban development plan and process. It has been reported for many years that several places in Jakarta are subsiding at different rates. The leveling surveys, GPS survey methods, and InSAR measurements have been used to study land subsidence in Jakarta, over the period of 1982–2010. In general, it was found that the land subsidence exhibits spatial and temporal variations, with the rates of about 1–15 cm/year. A few locations can have the subsidence rates up to about 20–28 cm/year. There are four different types of land subsidence that can be expected to occur in the Jakarta basin, namely: subsidence due to groundwater extraction, subsidence induced by the load of constructions (i.e., settlement of high compressibility soil), subsidence caused by natural consolidation of alluvial soil, and tectonic subsidence. It was found that the spatial and temporal variations of land subsidence depend on the corresponding variations of groundwater extraction, coupled with the characteristics of sedimentary layers and building loads above it. In general, there is strong relation between land subsidence and urban development activities in Jakarta.     

Land subsidence caused by groundwater exploitation in the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, China

Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain in northern Zhejiang Province, located between the Yangtze and Qiantang Rivers, is one of the regions where economic development is most rapid in China. Geological and hydrogeological surveys reveal a multi-layered aquifer system beneath the plain, which includes Holocene phreatic water layers and Pleistocene confined aquifers. Based on the historical records of groundwater extraction, groundwater levels, and ground settlement from 1964 to 2000, it is shown that ground subsidence has resulted from the continuously increasing extraction of groundwater from deep confined aquifers, and that the evolution of land subsidence can be characterized by a multifractal model. Based on this model, a set of empirical power-law relations have been established between: the land subsidence velocity and the annual groundwater extraction; groundwater drawdown and the annual land subsidence velocity; and the amount of land subsidence and the associated area of land. A set of indices are proposed for evaluating dynamic evolution of groundwater exploitation and land subsidence for the Hang-Jia-Hu Plain, from which the critical degree of evolution of land subsidence in the near future can be estimated using data on groundwater exploitation and water level changes.

基于SBAS-InSAR的西安市鱼化寨地区地面沉降与地裂缝时空演变特征研究

自20世纪50年代末以来,西安市遭受了严重的地面沉降和地裂缝灾害,严重制约了西安市城市建设发展规划.本文以西安市典型地面沉降区之一的鱼化寨为研究区,基于短基线集合成孔径雷达干涉测量技术,采用覆盖研究区的ERS(1992～1993年)、Envisat(2003～2010年)、Sentinel-1A(2015～2020年)...     

Tidal inundation mapping under enhanced land subsidence in Semarang,Central Java Indonesia

Tidal inundation by high tide under enhanced land subsidence is a damaging phenomenon and a major threat to the Semarang urban area in Indonesia. It impacts on economic activities, as well as the cost of an emergency program and causes interruption of pubic services, danger of infectious diseases and injury to human lives. This study examines a spatial analysis tool on the GIS-raster system for the tidal inundation mapping based on the subsidence-benchmark data and modified detail digital elevation model. Neighborhood operation and iteration model as a spatial analysis tool have been applied in order to calculate the encroachment of the tidal inundation on the coastal area. The resulting map shows that the tidal flood spreads to the lowland area and causes the inundation of coastal settlement, infrastructure, as well as productive agricultural land, i.e., the fish-pond area. The monitoring of the vulnerable area due to the tidal inundation under the scenario of extended land subsidence plays an important role in long-term coastal zone management in Semarang.     

Land subsidence and earth fissures in south-central and southern Arizona,USA

Land subsidence due to groundwater overdraft has been an ongoing problem in south-central and southern Arizona (USA) since the 1940s. The first earth fissure attributed to excessive groundwater withdrawal was discovered in the early 1950s near Picacho. In some areas of the state, groundwater-level declines of more than 150 m have resulted in extensive land subsidence and earth fissuring. Land subsidence in excess of 5.7 m has been documented in both western metropolitan Phoenix and Eloy. The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has been monitoring land subsidence since 2002 using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and since 1998 using a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The ADWR InSAR program has identified more than 25 individual land subsidence features that cover an area of more than 7,300 km². Using InSAR data in conjunction with groundwater-level datasets, ADWR is able to monitor land subsidence areas as well as identify areas that may require additional monitoring. One area of particular concern is the Willcox groundwater basin in southeastern Arizona, which is the focus of this paper. The area is experiencing rapid groundwater declines, as much as 32.1 m during 2005–2014 (the largest land subsidence rate in Arizona State—up to 12 cm/year), and a large number of earth fissures. The declining groundwater levels in Arizona are a challenge for both future groundwater availability and mitigating land subsidence associated with these declines. ADWR’s InSAR program will continue to be a critical tool for monitoring land subsidence due to excessive groundwater withdrawal.     

Mapping coastal erosion at the Nile Delta western promontory using Landsat imagery

A set of six Landsat satellite images with 5–9 years apart was used in a post-classification analysis to map changes occurred at Rosetta promontory between 1973 and 2008 due to coastal erosion. Spectral information were extracted from two multi-spectral scanner (MSS) images (1973 and 1978), three thematic mapper (TM) images (1984, 1990, and 1999), and one enhanced thematic mapper plus (ETM+) image (2008). To estimate the quantity of land loss in terms of coastal erosion, a supervised classification scheme was applied to each image to highlight only two classes: seawater and land. The area of each class was then estimated from the number of pixels pertaining to this class in every image. In addition, the shoreline position was digitized to address retreat/advance pattern throughout the study period. Results showed that Rosetta promontory had lost 12.29 km² of land between 1973 and 2008 and the shoreline withdrew southward about 3.5 km due to coastal erosion. Most land loss and shoreline retreat occurred between 1973 and 1978 (0.55 km²/year and 132 m/year, respectively). Coastal protection structures were constructed successively at the promontory. These structures have considerably contributed to reduce coastal erosion; however, they promoted downdrift erosion.     

Subsidence and uplift of Sidoarjo (East Java) due to the eruption of the Lusi mud volcano (2006–present)

Global positioning system (GPS) and satellite-based InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) measurements of the subsidence and uplift of a populated area of Sidoarjo, East Java are due to the eruption of the Lusi mud volcano (2006–present). These data are the first direct quantitative measurements of deformation due to the growth of a mud volcano edifice. The GPS data were recorded over periods of a few hours to several months and show that between June 2006 and September 2007, the earth’s surface has been subsiding at rates of 0.1–4 cm/day. Maximum rates of subsidence occurred in an area 300–400 m to the northwest of the main mud volcano vent. Horizontal displacements were 0.03–0.9 cm/day and were also towards this area. In general uplifts of up to 0.09 cm/day were recorded in areas outside of the edifice. Changes in elevation measured using satellite imagery (InSAR technique) provide regional datasets of subsidence and uplift. They confirm that during the first year a roughly circular area was undergoing sag-like subsidence centered to the northwest of the main vent and that uplift was occurring 3–4 months after the initiation of the eruption due to the movement Watukosek fault system. Subsidence occurred due to the weight of mud and man-made dams and the collapse of the overburden due to removal of mud from the subsurface. Assuming constant rates of subsidence of 4 cm/day, then in the centre of the edifice there would be up to 44 m of subsidence in 3 years, and up to 16 m in 10 years. The mud volcano is now in a self-organizing state with new fluid conduits forming as a result of the collapse. An erratum to this article can be found at     

运城市地面沉降SBAS-InSAR监测和敏感性GIS分析

以地裂缝分布密集的运城市典型地面沉降区为研究区,采用小基线SBAS-DInSAR算法,利用覆盖该区域的8幅ASAR影像进行干涉处理,获得该区域地面沉降信息,初步揭示了研究区地面沉降的空间分布特征。在此基础上,搜集利用研究区地质资料,结合GIS空间分析方法,分析了断层、地裂缝等构造因素与地面沉降的关系,建立了研究区地面沉降灾害敏感性分区图,对该区域地面沉降地裂缝灾害的防治工作具有指导作用。     

Sustainable development and utilization of groundwater resources considering land subsidence in Suzhou,China

Suzhou is located at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River in southeastern Jiangsu, China. It is part of the Su-Xi-Chang area including Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou. As one of the most developed areas in China, this region has suffered from severe land subsidence caused by extensive groundwater exploitation since 1980s. The land subsidence was controlled by prohibition of groundwater exploration in the past several years. However, the surface water pollution prompted a new task of how to sustainably utilize the groundwater resource, especially to satisfy the emergency demands of water supply. In this paper, we took Suzhou as a representative case to discuss how to develop groundwater resources while controlling the land subsidence. The relationship between the deformation and the groundwater level was analyzed, with focus on the deformation features after the period of groundwater exploitation ban. The results confirmed the conclusion by Shi et al. (2007, 2008a): even in the period of rising groundwater level, same units may manifest different deformation characteristics, such as elasticity, elasto-plasticity, and visco-elasto-plasticity, at different locations of the cone of depression. A land subsidence model that couples a 3-D groundwater model and a 1-D deformation model was developed to simulate the groundwater level and deformation. A high-resolution local grid (child model) for Suzhou was built based on the regional land subsidence model of Su-Xi-Chang area by Wu et al. (2009). The model was used for a number of predictive scenarios up to the year of 2012 to examine how to develop sustainable use of groundwater resources under the conditions of land subsidence control. Our results indicated that about 3.08 × 10⁷ m³/a groundwater could be provided as emergency and standby water source while meeting the land subsidence control target of 10 mm/a.     

Monitoring of land subsidence and ground fissures in Xian,China 2005–2006: mapped by SAR interferometry

The City of Xian, China, has been experiencing significant land subsidence and ground fissure activities since 1960s, which have brought various severe geohazards including damages to buildings, bridges and other facilities. Monitoring of land subsidence and ground fissure activities can provide useful information for assessing the extent of, and mitigating such geohazards. In order to achieve robust Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (InSAR) results, six interferometric pairs of Envisat ASAR data covering 2005–2006 are collected to analyze the InSAR processing errors firstly, such as temporal and spatial decorrelation error, external DEM error, atmospheric error and unwrapping error. Then the annual subsidence rate during 2005–2006 is calculated by weighted averaging two pairs of D-InSAR results with similar time spanning. Lastly, GPS measurements are applied to calibrate the InSAR results and centimeter precision is achieved. As for the ground fissure monitoring, five InSAR cross-sections are designed to demonstrate the relative subsidence difference across ground fissures. In conclusion, the final InSAR subsidence map during 2005–2006 shows four large subsidence zones in Xian hi-tech zones in western, eastern and southern suburbs of Xian City, among which two subsidence cones are newly detected and two ground fissures are deduced to be extended westward in Yuhuazhai subsidence cone. This study shows that the land subsidence and ground fissures are highly correlated spatially and temporally and both are correlated with hi-tech zone construction in Xian during the year of 2005–2006.     

北京地下水系统演化与地面沉降过程

采用地下水动态监测网、GPS监测网数据、气象监测数据与SAR数据、GIS等技术相结合,建立地下水系统演化与地面沉降过程模型,系统分析了北京地区地下水降落漏斗区地面沉降的形成过程。研究表明:降雨量呈逐年下降趋势,地下水开采量随之增大;平原区地下水位呈下降趋势,间接导致了地下水降落漏斗和地面沉降的形成演化。地面沉降对地下水降落漏斗的响应模式存在着季节与年际差异性,时空分布上存在不均匀性,最大地面沉降速率约为41.43 mm/a;揭示了地下水降落漏斗与地面沉降漏斗空间展布特性存在一致性,但并非完全吻合。     

Monitoring subsidence at Messara basin using radar interferometry

The Messara valley is the largest and most productive region in the island of Crete, Greece. Over the last 20 years, extensive exploitation of the aquifer mainly for agricultural purposes has led to a 40-m decrease in the level of groundwater. This investigation aims at mapping ground subsidence that might be induced by such overpumping of groundwater using conventional differential interferometry. A total of 29 ERS-1 and 2 SAR and 7 ALOS PALSAR images have been used for forming interferograms. The images used cover the period from 1992 to 2000 and 2007 to 2010, respectively. Processing of ALOS L-band data (λ = 23.6 cm) has revealed a ground motion away from the Line of Sight of the satellite (LOS direction) that amounts to at least 3 cm/year for the period 2007–2010. Piezometric measurements and other geological parameters have also been analyzed.     

Long-term groundwater storage changes and land subsidence development in the North China Plain (1971–2015)

The North China Plain (NCP) has been suffering from groundwater storage (GWS) depletion and land subsidence for a long period. This paper collects data on GWS changes and land subsidence from in situ groundwater-level measurements, literature, and satellite observations to provide an overview of the evolution of the aquifer system during 1971–2015 with a focus on the sub-regional variations. It is found that the GWS showed a prolonged declining rate of ?17.8?±?0.1 mm/yr during 1971–2015, with a negative correlation to groundwater abstraction before year ~2000 and a positive correlation after ~2000. Statistical correlations between subsidence rate and the GWS anomaly (GWSA), groundwater abstraction, and annual precipitation show that the land subsidence in three sub-regions (Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei) represents different temporal variations due to varying driver factors. Continuous drought caused intensive GWS depletion (?76.1?±?6.5 mm/yr) and land subsidence in Beijing during 1999–2012. Negative correlations between total groundwater abstraction and land subsidence exhibited after the 1980s indicate that it may be questionable to infer subsidence from regional abstraction data. Instead, the GWSA generally provides a reliable correlation with subsidence. This study highlights the spatio-temporal variabilities of GWS depletion and land subsidence in the NCP under natural and anthropogenic impacts, and the importance of GWS changes for understanding land subsidence development.