scholarly journals Quantifying Ground Subsidence Associated with Aquifer Overexploitation Using Space-Borne Radar Interferometry in Kabul, Afghanistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 2461
Author(s):  
Gauhar Meldebekova ◽  
Chen Yu ◽  
Zhenhong Li ◽  
Chuang Song

Rapid population growth combined with recent drought events and decades of political instability have left the residents of Kabul facing water scarcity, significantly relying on groundwater. Groundwater overexploitation might have induced various magnitudes of ground subsidence, however, to date, no comprehensive study of ground subsidence in Kabul has been conducted. In this study, we investigated the spatio-temporal evolution of ground deformation phenomena and its main governing processes in Kabul from 2014 to 2019 using C-Band Sentinel-1 derived Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) time-series from both ascending and descending orbits to extract the two-dimensional (2D) surface displacement field. Four subsidence bowls were distinguished with highly variable spatial extents and deformation magnitudes over four separate aquifer basins, with the maximum value of −5.3 cm/year observed in the Upper Kabul aquifer basin. A wavelet analysis suggests that there is a strong correlation between the groundwater level variations and subsidence. Investigation of hydrogeological data further reveals that the observed subsidence could be attributed to the presence of highly compressible clayey soils. This detailed space-borne regional survey provides new insights into the main governing mechanism of land subsidence in Kabul and may direct better mitigation plans of potential hazards.

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayuki Nakano ◽  
Hiroshi Une ◽  
Kazuki Yoshida ◽  
Satoshi Fujiwara ◽  
Tomokazu Kobayashi

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> A wide range of ground failure such as earthquake faulting (surface rupture), landslides, and liquefaction occur after a large earthquake. In this study, in order to rapidly determine the distribution of failure over a wide area after an earthquake, we combined traditional methods such as aerial photo interpretation and modern methods such as unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) techniques. Moreover, elevation variations obtained using DEMs and the structure from motion and multi-view stereo (SfM-MVS) technique were employed to understand local ground deformation factors, such as reclaimed valley deformation. Using ortho-mosaic images, surface fissures caused by the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake in Japan were rapidly interpreted and mapped, which enabled early interpretation of the ground failure situation. Furthermore, surface displacement properties extracted from SAR interferograms allowed for more advanced earthquake fault detection; surface displacement associated with liquefaction was also identified from SAR interferograms. In addition, InSAR was used to detect reclaimed valley deformation. Comparing this with the reclaimed valley distribution map created by the SfM-MVS technique improved our understanding of this phenomenon. However, many of these techniques require large amounts of manpower and time and can be influenced by differences in analyst skill level. In future, the development of mechanically automated ground failure identification will improve earthquake disaster responses.</p>


Author(s):  
M. Béjar-Pizarro ◽  
P. Ezquerro Martín ◽  
G. Herrera ◽  
R. Tomás ◽  
C. Guardiola-Albert ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Tertiary detritic aquifer of Madrid (TDAM), with an average thickness of 1500 m and a heterogeneous, anisotropic structure, supplies water to Madrid, the most populated city of Spain (3.2 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area). Besides its complex structure, a previous work focused in the north-northwest of Madrid city showed that the aquifer behaves quasi elastically trough extraction/recovery cycles and ground uplifting during recovery periods compensates most of the ground subsidence measured during previous extraction periods (Ezquerro et al., 2014). Therefore, the relationship between ground deformation and groundwater level through time can be simulated using simple elastic models. In this work, we model the temporal evolution of the piezometric level in 19 wells of the TDAM in the period 1997–2010. Using InSAR and piezometric time series spanning the studied period, we first estimate the elastic storage coefficient (Ske) for every well. Both, the Ske of each well and the average Ske of all wells, are used to predict hydraulic heads at the different well locations during the study period and compared against the measured hydraulic heads, leading to very similar errors when using the Ske of each well and the average Ske of all wells: 14 and 16 % on average respectively. This result suggests that an average Ske can be used to estimate piezometric level variations in all the points where ground deformation has been measured by InSAR, thus allowing production of piezometric level maps for the different extraction/recovery cycles in the TDAM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Vassileva ◽  
Djamil Al-Halbouni ◽  
Mahdi Motagh ◽  
Thomas R. Walter ◽  
Torsten Dahm ◽  
...  

AbstractGround subsidence caused by natural or anthropogenic processes affects major urban areas worldwide. Sinkhole formation and infrastructure fractures have intensified in the federal capital of Maceió (Alagoas, Brazil) since early 2018, forcing authorities to relocate affected residents and place buildings under demolition. In this study, we present a 16-year history (2004–2020) of surface displacement, which shows precursory deformations in 2004–2005, reaching a maximum cumulative subsidence of approximately 200 cm near the Mundaú Lagoon coast in November 2020. By integrating the displacement observations with numerical source modelling, we suggest that extensive subsidence can be primarily associated with the removal of localized, deep-seated material at the location and depth where salt is mined. We discuss the accelerating subsidence rates, influence of severe precipitation events on the aforementioned geological instability, and related hazards. This study suggests that feedback destabilization mechanisms may arise in evaporite systems due to anthropogenic activities, fostering enhanced and complex superficial ground deformation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3044
Author(s):  
Mingjie Liao ◽  
Rui Zhang ◽  
Jichao Lv ◽  
Bin Yu ◽  
Jiatai Pang ◽  
...  

In recent years, many cities in the Chinese loess plateau (especially in Shanxi province) have encountered ground subsidence problems due to the construction of underground projects and the exploitation of underground resources. With the completion of the world’s largest geotechnical project, called “mountain excavation and city construction,” in a collapsible loess area, the Yan’an city also appeared to have uneven ground subsidence. To obtain the spatial distribution characteristics and the time-series evolution trend of the subsidence, we selected Yan’an New District (YAND) as the specific study area and presented an improved time-series InSAR (TS-InSAR) method for experimental research. Based on 89 Sentinel-1A images collected between December 2017 to December 2020, we conducted comprehensive research and analysis on the spatial and temporal evolution of surface subsidence in YAND. The monitoring results showed that the YAND is relatively stable in general, with deformation rates mainly in the range of −10 to 10 mm/yr. However, three significant subsidence funnels existed in the fill area, with a maximum subsidence rate of 100 mm/yr. From 2017 to 2020, the subsidence funnels enlarged, and their subsidence rates accelerated. Further analysis proved that the main factors induced the severe ground subsidence in the study area, including the compressibility and collapsibility of loess, rapid urban construction, geological environment change, traffic circulation load, and dynamic change of groundwater. The experimental results indicated that the improved TS-InSAR method is adaptive to monitoring uneven subsidence of deep loess area. Moreover, related data and information would provide reference to the large-scale ground deformation monitoring and in similar loess areas.


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (17) ◽  
pp. 6123-6130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey V. Samsonov ◽  
Alexander P. Trishchenko ◽  
Kristy Tiampo ◽  
Pablo J. González ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 4575
Author(s):  
Yuankun Xu ◽  
Zhong Lu ◽  
Jin-Woo Kim

Decorrelation of X, C, and L-band InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) over densely vegetated regions is a common obstacle for detecting ground deformation beneath forest canopies. Using long-wavelength P-band SAR sensors (wavelength of 69.72 cm), which can penetrate through dense forests and collect relatively consistent signals from ground surface, is one potential solution. Here, we experimented using the NASA JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)’s P-band AirMOSS (Airborne Microwave Observatory of Subcanopy and Subsurface) radar system to collect repeat-pass P-band SAR data over densely vegetated regions in Oregon and California (USA), and generated by far the first P-band InSAR results to test the capability of P-band InSAR for geohazard detection over forested terrains. Our results show that the AirMOSS P-band InSAR could retain coherence two times as high as the L-band satellite ALOS-2 (Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2) data, and was significantly more effective in discovering localized geohazards that were unseen by the ALOS-2 interferograms over densely vegetated areas. Our results suggest that the airborne P-band InSAR could be a revolutionary tool for studying geohazards under dense forest canopies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 1848
Author(s):  
Nikos Svigkas ◽  
Simone Atzori ◽  
Anastasia Kiratzi ◽  
Cristiano Tolomei ◽  
Andrea Antonioli ◽  
...  

We use Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) to study the Cephalonia–Lefkada Transform Fault Zone (CTF) in the Ionian Sea. The CTF separates continental subduction to the north from oceanic subduction to the south, along the Hellenic Subduction Zone. We exploit a rich multi-modal radar dataset of the most recent major earthquake in the region, the 17 November 2015 Mw 6.4 event, and present new surface displacement results that offer additional constraints on the fault segmentation of the area. Based on this dataset, and by exploiting available information of earthquake relocation, we propose a new rupture process for the 2015 sequence, complementary to those published already. Our modelling includes an additional southern fault segment, oblique to the segment related with the mainshock, which indicates that the CTF structure is more complex than previously believed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 220 (1) ◽  
pp. 585-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria C Araya ◽  
Juliet Biggs

SUMMARY Tectonic slivers form in the overriding plate in regions of oblique subduction. The inner boundaries of the sliver are often poorly defined and can consist of well-defined faults, rotating blocks or diffuse fault systems, which pass through or near the volcanic arc. The Guanacaste Volcanic Arc Sliver (GVAS) as defined by Montero et al., is a segment of the Central American Forearc Sliver, whose inner boundary is the ∼87-km-long Haciendas-Chiripa fault system (HCFS), which is located ∼10 km behind the volcanic arc and consists of strike slip faults and pull apart steps. We characterize the current ground motion on this boundary by combining earthquake locations and focal mechanisms of the 2016 Bijagua earthquake sequence, with the surface ground deformation obtained from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) images from the ALOS-2 satellite. The coseismic stack of interferograms show ∼6 cm of displacement towards the line of sight of the satellite between the Caño Negro fault and the Upala fault, indicating uplift or SE horizontal surface displacement. The largest recorded earthquake of the sequence was Mw 5.4, and the observed deformation is one of the smallest earthquakes yet detected by InSAR in the Central American region. Forward and inverse models show the surface deformation can be partially explained by slip on a single fault, but it can be better explained by slip along two faults linked at depth. The best-fitting model consists of 0.33 m of right lateral slip on the Caño Negro fault and 0.35 m of reverse slip on the Upala fault, forming a positive flower structure. As no reverse seismicity was recorded, we infer the slip on the Upala fault occurred aseismically. Observations of the Bijagua earthquake sequence suggests the forearc sliver boundary is a complex and diffuse fault system. There are localized zones of transpression and transtension and areas where there is no surface expression suggesting the fault system is not yet mature. Although aseismic slip is common on subduction interfaces and mature strike-slip faults, this is the first study to document aseismic slip on a continental tectonic sliver boundary fault.


2011 ◽  
Vol 383-390 ◽  
pp. 2201-2205
Author(s):  
Xin Xi Liu ◽  
Xue Zhi Wang

Analysis on the characters of ground subsidence of Yangjiaping mining area, with same excavation depth and recovery coefficient, the numerical simulations to nonlinear large deformation using finite-difference method(FLAC) are achieved on the different strip extraction schemes that adopted different mining and reservation width. The result indicates that the subsidence values and horizontal deformation increases with the increasing of the strip extraction width on condition of the same recovery rate. Based on probability density function (PDF) method, the relationship of the coal pillar width, the mining width and ground deformation is acquired, which is some useful reference for using the strip extraction method to control the surface movement and deformation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document