Abstract
It has been observed that in the urban center of Shanghai, land subsidence has accelerated, and the groundwater level has continued to drop even though the net withdrawn volume (NWV) of groundwater has remained unchanged since 1980. An analysis of monitoring data shows that drawdown of the groundwater level is one of the factors that have influenced land subsidence since 1980. The NWV of groundwater in urban areas, however, is not the critical factor controlling the drawdown of the groundwater level. Since the 1980s, there have been many underground works constructed in the unique strata of Shanghai, which has an interlayered structure known as a multi-aquifer-aquitard system (MAAS). Investigation into land subsidence caused by urban construction is now receiving much attention. Based on the principle of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for sustainable urban development, this paper presents a discussion and analysis of the factors which can influence the development of land subsidence during continued urbanization in Shanghai. The main factors include the additional loading caused by the construction of structures, the cut-off effect due to construction in aquifers, the drawdown of groundwater level caused by leakage into underground structures, and the decrease of groundwater recharge from neighboring zones. SEA is recommended for the future development of Shanghai.
Highlights
Groundwater is the most important resource which is extracted worldwide for irrigation, industry, and domestic use
The potential factors contributing to land subsidence in the urban area include the additional load caused by the construction of both above- and below-ground structures, well-point dewatering in the excavation of foundation pits, groundwater leakage in metro tunnels during construction and operation, and the reduction in groundwater recharge from the suburban area to the urban area due to the cut-off effect of underground structures, which is considered to be the main factor
Based on strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for sustainable urban development, the influencing factors which may lead to land subsidence during the urbanization of Shanghai are discussed
Summary
Groundwater is the most important resource which is extracted worldwide for irrigation, industry, and domestic use. Much research is conducted into maintaining sustainable levels of groundwater extraction [1,2,3]. In Shanghai, groundwater pumping started in the early 1860s, and it has resulted in serious land subsidence [4,5,6,7]. Since 1966, measures relating to groundwater control have been adopted (such as banning unnecessary groundwater withdrawal, changing the withdrawal source to deeper aquifers, and adopting artificial recharge [7,8]). With these measures implemented, land subsidence was controlled for a period of time.
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