InSAR Detection of Localized Subsidence Induced by Sinkhole Activity in Suburban West-Central Florida

Talib Oliver-Cabrera,Shimon Wdowinski,Sarah Kruse,Tonian Robinson

doi:10.5194/piahs-382-155-2020

Talib Oliver-Cabrera, Shimon Wdowinski + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5194/piahs-382-155-2020

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Abstract

Abstract. Sinkhole activity in west-central Florida is a major hazard for people and property. Increasing frequency of sinkhole collapse is often related to an accelerated use of groundwater and land resources. In this work, we use radar interferometry acquired over a selected region in Hernando County in west-central Florida to observe small localized deformation possibly caused by sinkhole activity. The data used for the study consist of acquisitions from one TerraSAR-X frame covering a time span of approximately 1.7 years with spatial resolution of 0.25 by 0.60 m. We applied the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) technique using the Stanford Method for Persistent Scatterers (StaMPS). Results reveal several areas of localized subsidence at rates ranging from −3.7 to −4.9 mm yr−1. Ground truthing and background verification of the subsiding locations confirmed the relationship of the subsidence with sinkhole presence.

Highlights

Sinkholes form when rocks or sediments move into a void created by rock dissolution (Dobecki and Upchurch, 2006)
In the current study we focus on a smaller area, the region of the Timber Pines housing development in westcentral Florida, and analyze the effectivity of the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) re
The stack of single master interferograms was used as an input for the second processing stage, time series analysis using the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry method (PSI) (Ferretti et al, 2001)

Summary

Introduction

Sinkholes form when rocks or sediments move into a void created by rock dissolution (Dobecki and Upchurch, 2006). Accelerated use of groundwater and land resources has promoted an increase in the rate of sinkhole formation (Tihansky, 1999; Veni et al, 2014) These circumstances have made sinkhole collapse one of the leading natural disasters in Florida, with almost 25 000 insurance claims between the years 2006–2010 (Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, 2010). Reported sinkhole incidences as subsidence and collapse occur mainly in the west-central region of the state (Florida Geological Survey, 2015) (Fig. 1). This sinkhole-active corridor extends over a large area (hundreds of km2) covering three of the most densely populated cities in Florida: Orlando, Tampa and St. Petersburg, which is located west of Tampa (Fig. 1)

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