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Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing

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A special issue of Remote Sensing (ISSN 2072-4292). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Remote Sensing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2020) | Viewed by 36572

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Massimo Fabris

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering-ICEA, University of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy
Interests: geomatics; digital aerial photogrammetry; digital surface models; deformations monitoring; 3D surveys; land subsidence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Nicola Cenni

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Guest Editor

Independent Researcher, Padova, Italy
Interests: GPS time series analysis; subsidence; landslide monitoring; seismics; hydrology; applied geophysics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Simone Fiaschi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

UCD School of Earth Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Interests: InSAR; geological hazards monitoring; land subsidence; Earth observation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Land subsidence represents a growing problem that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The loss of surface elevation can lead to structural damage of buildings and infrastructures, loss of extensive agricultural and/or natural areas, the rise of salt wedges and the regression of coastlines and can have a significant economic and social impact. This negative impact can be further aggravated by climate changes (e.g., sea level rise), in particular in low-lying coastal areas.

Land subsidence is also one of the major factors controlling the geomorphological evolution of river basins and deltaic areas, which can host large population centres and extensive productive activities.

Ground deformations monitoring plays a key role in the management of such natural hazard by providing cost-effective solutions for risk mitigation.

This Special Issue of Remote Sensing is devoted to all topics related to land subsidence monitoring using remote sensing techniques (in particular, but not limited, to InSAR) complemented with ground-based data (e.g., GNSS, precise levelling).

Land subsidence can generally be considered as a superposition of natural processes and anthropogenic activities. Therefore, papers in which these different contributions are explained and estimated are welcome. Papers discussing theoretical models, the results obtained from monitoring activities and the evolution in space and time of land subsidence processes are also welcome. We particularly encourage the submission of manuscripts presenting new and/or innovative applications of remote sensing techniques for the monitoring and quantification of land subsidence.

Prof. Dr. Massimo Fabris
Dr. Nicola Cenni
Dr. Simone Fiaschi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Remote Sensing is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Land subsidence
Anthropogenic and natural components
Climate change impact
Time series analysis
Remote sensing monitoring techniques
InSAR
Integrated monitoring approaches

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Editorial

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5 pages, 207 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial for Special Issue “Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing”

by Massimo Fabris, Nicola Cenni and Simone Fiaschi

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(9), 1771; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13091771 - 01 May 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1861

Abstract

Land subsidence is a geological hazard that affects several different communities around the world [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

Research

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21 pages, 8807 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Monitoring of Land Subsidence in the Po River Delta (Northern Italy) Using Geodetic Networks

by Nicola Cenni, Simone Fiaschi and Massimo Fabris

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(8), 1488; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13081488 - 13 Apr 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 2489

Abstract

The Po River Delta (PRD, Northern Italy) has been historically affected by land subsidence due to natural processes and human activities, with strong impacts on the stability of the natural ecosystems and significant socio-economic consequences. This paper is aimed to highlight the spatial and temporal evolution of the land subsidence in the PRD area analyzing the geodetic observations acquired in the last decade. The analysis performed using a moving window approach on Continuous Global Navigation Satellite System (CGNSS) time-series indicates that the velocities, in the order of 6 mm/year, are not affected by significant changes in the analyzed period. Furthermore, the use of non-permanent sites belonging to a new GNSS network (measured in 2016 and 2018) integrated with InSAR data (from 2014 to 2017) allowed us to improve the spatial coverage of data points in the PRD area. The results suggest that the land subsidence velocities in the easternmost part of the area of interest are characterized by values greater than the ones located in the western sectors. In particular, the sites located on the sandy beach ridge in the western sector of the study area are characterized by values greater than −5 mm/year, while rates of about −10 mm/year or lower have been observed at the eastern sites located in the Po river mouths. The morphological analysis indicates that the land subsidence observed in the PRD area is mainly due to the compaction of the shallow layers characterized by organic-rich clay and fresh-water peat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

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22 pages, 6422 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Workflow Based on SNAP–StaMPS Open-Source Tools and GNSS Data for PSI-Based Ground Deformation Using Dual-Orbit Sentinel-1 Data: Accuracy Assessment with Error Propagation Analysis

by Francesco Mancini, Francesca Grassi and Nicola Cenni

Remote Sens. 2021, 13(4), 753; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13040753 - 18 Feb 2021

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 7440

Abstract

This paper discusses a full interferometry processing chain based on dual-orbit Sentinel-1A and Sentinel-1B (S1) synthetic aperture radar data and a combination of open-source routines from the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP), Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers (StaMPS), and additional routines introduced by the authors. These are used to provide vertical and East-West horizontal velocity maps over a study area in the south-western sector of the Po Plain (Italy) where land subsidence is recognized. The processing of long time series of displacements from a cluster of continuous global navigation satellite system stations is used to provide a global reference frame for line-of-sight–projected velocities and to validate velocity maps after the decomposition analysis. We thus introduce the main theoretical aspects related to error propagation analysis for the proposed methodology and provide the level of uncertainty of the validation analysis at relevant points. The combined SNAP–StaMPS workflow is shown to be a reliable tool for S1 data processing. Based on the validation procedure, the workflow allows decomposed velocity maps to be obtained with an accuracy of 2 mm/yr with expected uncertainty levels lower than 2 mm/yr. Slant-oriented and decomposed velocity maps provide new insights into the ground deformation phenomena that affect the study area arising from a combination of natural and anthropogenic sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

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19 pages, 9810 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multidisciplinary Analysis of Ground Movements: An Underground Gas Storage Case Study

by Christoforos Benetatos, Giulia Codegone, Carmela Ferraro, Andrea Mantegazzi, Vera Rocca, Giorgio Tango and Francesco Trillo

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(21), 3487; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12213487 - 23 Oct 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 2301

Abstract

The paper presents a multi-physics investigation of the ground movements related to the cyclical and seasonal injection and withdrawal of natural gas in/from a depleted reservoir located in the Po Plain area, Italy. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAr) data (from 2003) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data (from 2008) provided a full and coherent panorama of almost two decades of ground movement in the monitored area (more extended than the field boundary). The analysis of the acquired millimetric-scale movements together with the detailed geological analysis, both at reservoir and at regional scale, represents the focal point for understanding the investigated phenomena. Based on this information, a fully integrated and multidisciplinary geological, fluid-flow and geomechanical numerical modeling approach was developed to reproduce the main geometrical and structural features of the involved formations together with the poromechanics processes induced by the storage operations. The main achievement of the adopted methodology is a deep knowledge of the system and the involved processes, which is mandatory for the safety of the urbanized areas and the effective management of the underground resources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

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24 pages, 11208 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Complex Surface Displacements above the Storage Cavern Field at Epe, NW-Germany, Observed by Multi-Temporal SAR-Interferometry

by Markus Even, Malte Westerhaus and Verena Simon

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(20), 3348; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12203348 - 14 Oct 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2288

Abstract

The storage cavern field at Epe has been brined out of a salt deposit belonging to the lower Rhine salt flat, which extends under the surface of the North German lowlands and part of the Netherlands. Cavern convergence and operational pressure changes cause surface displacements that have been studied for this work with the help of SAR interferometry (InSAR) using distributed and persistent scatterers. Vertical and East-West movements have been determined based on Sentinel-1 data from ascending and descending orbit. Simple geophysical modeling is used to support InSAR processing and helps to interpret the observations. In particular, an approach is presented that allows to relate the deposit pressures with the observed surface displacements. Seasonal movements occurring over a fen situated over the western part of the storage site further complicate the analysis. Findings are validated with ground truth from levelling and groundwater level measurements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

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20 pages, 15077 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Localized Subsidence Zones in Gävle City Detected by Sentinel-1 PSI and Leveling Data

by Nureldin A. A. Gido, Mohammad Bagherbandi and Faramarz Nilfouroushan

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(16), 2629; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12162629 - 14 Aug 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3690

Abstract

Among different sets of constraints and hazards that have to be considered in the management of cities and land use, land surface subsidence is one of the important issues that can lead to many problems, and its economic consequences cannot be ignored. In this study, the ground surface deformation of Gävle city in Sweden is investigated using the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) technique as well as analyzing the historical leveling data. The PSI technique is used to map the location of hazard zones and their ongoing subsidence rate. Two ascending and descending Sentinel-1 datasets, collected between January 2015 and May 2020, covering the Gävle city, were processed and analyzed. In addition, a long record of a leveling dataset, covering the period from 1974 to 2019, was used to detect the rate of subsidence in some locations which were not reported before. Our PSI analysis reveals that the center of Gävle is relatively stable with minor deformation ranged between −2 ± 0.5 mm/yr to +2 ± 0.5 mm/yr in vertical and east–west components. However, the land surface toward the northeast of the city is relatively subsiding with a higher annual rate of up to −6 ± 0.46 mm/yr. The comparison at sparse locations shows a close agreement between the subsidence rates obtained from precise leveling and PSI results. The regional quaternary deposits map was overlaid with PSI results and it shows the subsidence areas are mostly located in zones where the subsurface layer is marked by artificial fill materials. The knowledge of the spatio-temporal extents of land surface subsidence for undergoing urban areas can help to develop and establish models to mitigate hazards associated with such land settlement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

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22 pages, 7643 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Land Subsidence Response to Different Land Use Types and Water Resource Utilization in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, China

by Chaofan Zhou, Huili Gong, Beibei Chen, Mingliang Gao, Qun Cao, Jin Cao, Li Duan, Junjie Zuo and Min Shi

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(3), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030457 - 01 Feb 2020

Cited by 48 | Viewed by 4608

Abstract

The long-term overexploitation of groundwater leads to serious land subsidence and threatens the safety of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH). In this paper, an interferometric point target analysis (IPTA) with small baseline subset InSAR (SBAS-InSAR) technique was used to derive the land subsidence in a typical BTH area from 2012 to 2018 with 126 Radarsat-2 and 184 Sentinel-1 images. The analysis reveals that the average subsidence rate reached 118 mm/year from 2012 to 2018. Eleven subsidence features were identified: Shangzhuang, Beijing Airport, Jinzhan and Heizhuanghu in Beijing, Guangyang and Shengfang in Langfang, Wangqingtuo in Tianjin, Dongguang in Cangzhou, Jingxian and Zaoqiang in Hengshui and Julu in Xingtai. Comparing the different types of land use in subsidence feature areas, the results show that when the land-use type is relatively more complex and superimposed with residential, industrial and agricultural land, the land subsidence is relatively more significant. Moreover, the land subsidence development patterns are different in the BTH areas because of the different methods adopted for their water resource development and utilization, with an imbalance in their economic development levels. Finally, we found that the subsidence changes are consistent with groundwater level changes and there is a lag period between land subsidence and groundwater level changes of approximately two months in Beijing Airport, Jinzhan, Jingxian and Zaoqiang, of three months in Shangzhuang, Heizhuanghu, Guangyang, Wangqingtuo and Dongguang and of four months in Shengfang. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

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17 pages, 9501 KiB

Open AccessTechnical Note

Land Surface Subsidence Due to Mining-Induced Tremors in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (Poland)—Case Study

by Paweł Sopata, Tomasz Stoch, Artur Wójcik and Dawid Mrocheń

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(23), 3923; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12233923 - 30 Nov 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2704

Abstract

Seismic phenomena threaten land-based buildings, structures, and infrastructure and can transform land topography. There are two basic types of seismic phenomena, namely, tectonic and anthropogenic, which differ mainly in epicenter depth, surface impact range, and magnitude (energy). This article shows how a land surface was changed by a series of seven rock mass tremors of magnitude M_L = 2.3–2.6 in March–May 2017. Their immediate cause was the “momentary” acceleration of void clamping, which was activated by local and short-term seismic phenomena caused by human activity. The induced seismic events resulted from the geological structure of the rock mass, which in the specific region of examination was classified as being highly prone to mining tremors. The authors focused on describing vertical surface displacements in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin in the south of Poland. The surface deformations were identified using DInSAR technology, which allows quasi-continuous monitoring of large areas of land surface. The present research used freely available data from the Copernicus Program and seismic data from the European Plate Observing System. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

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13 pages, 14439 KiB

Open AccessTechnical Note

Estimating Vertical Land Motion from Remote Sensing and In-Situ Observations in the Dubrovnik Area (Croatia): A Multi-Method Case Study

by Marijan Grgić, Josip Bender and Tomislav Bašić

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(21), 3543; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12213543 - 29 Oct 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3108

Abstract

Different space-borne geodetic observation methods combined with in-situ measurements enable resolving the single-point vertical land motion (VLM) and/or the VLM of an area. Continuous Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements can solely provide very precise VLM trends at specific sites. VLM area monitoring can be performed by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology in combination with the GNSS in-situ data. In coastal zones, an effective VLM estimation at tide gauge sites can additionally be derived by comparing the relative sea-level trends computed from tide gauge measurements that are related to the land to which the tide gauges are attached, and absolute trends derived from the radar satellite altimeter data that are independent of the VLM. This study presents the conjoint analysis of VLM of the Dubrovnik area (Croatia) derived from the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-1 InSAR data available from 2014 onwards, continuous GNSS observations at Dubrovnik site obtained from 2000, and differences of the sea-level change obtained from all available satellite altimeter missions for the Dubrovnik area and tide gauge measurements in Dubrovnik from 1992 onwards. The computed VLM estimates for the overlapping period of three observation methods, i.e., from GNSS observations, sea-level differences, and Sentinel-1 InSAR data, are

- 1.93 \pm 0.38

mm/yr,

- 2.04 \pm 0.22

mm/yr, and

- 2.24 \pm 0.46

mm/yr, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

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17 pages, 71904 KiB

Open AccessTechnical Note

Very Local Subsidence Near the Hot Spring Region in Hakone Volcano, Japan, Inferred from InSAR Time Series Analysis of ALOS/PALSAR Data

by Ryosuke Doke, George Kikugawa and Kazuhiro Itadera

Remote Sens. 2020, 12(17), 2842; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12172842 - 01 Sep 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3510 | Correction

Abstract

Monitoring of surface displacement by satellite-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) analysis is an effective method for detecting land subsidence in areas where routes of leveling measurements are undeveloped, such as mountainous areas. In particular, InSAR-based monitoring around well-developed hot spring resorts, such as those in Japan, is useful for conserving hot spring resources. Hakone Volcano is one of the major hot spring resorts in Japan, and many hot spring wells have been developed in the Owakudani fumarole area, where a small phreatic eruption occurred in 2015. In this study, we performed an InSAR time series analysis using the small baseline subset (SBAS) method and ALOS/PALSAR scenes of the Hakone Volcano to monitor surface displacements around the volcano. The results of the SBAS-InSAR time series analysis show highly localized subsidence to the west of Owakudani from 2006–2011 when the ALOS/PALSAR satellite was operated. The area of subsidence was approximately 500 m in diameter, and the peak rate of subsidence was approximately 25 mm/year. Modeling using a point pressure source suggested that the subsidence was caused by a contraction at approximately 700 m above sea level (about 300 m below the ground surface). The rate of this contraction was estimated to be 1.04 × 10⁴ m³/year. Hot spring water is collected from a nearby well at almost the same depth as the contraction source, and its main dissolved ion component is chloride ions, suggesting that the hydrothermal fluids are supplied from deep within the volcano. The land subsidence suggests that the fumarole activity is attenuating due to a decrease in the supply of hydrothermal fluids from deeper areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring Land Subsidence Using Remote Sensing)

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