Abstract
Land subsidence and sea level rise are well-known, ongoing problems that are negatively impacting the entire Texas coast. Although ground-based monitoring techniques using long-term global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) records provide accurate subsidence rates, they are labor intensive, expensive, time-consuming, and spatially limited. In this study, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data and techniques were used to map the locations and quantify rates of land subsidence in the Texas Coastal Bend region during the period from October 2016 to July 2019. InSAR-derived land subsidence rates were then validated and calibrated against GNSS-derived rates. The factors controlling the observed land subsidence rates and locations were investigated. The consequences of spatial variability in land subsidence rates in Coastal Bend were also examined. The results indicated that: (1) land subsidence rates in the Texas Coastal Bend exhibited spatial variability, (2) InSAR-derived land subsidence rates were consistent with GNSS-derived deformation rates, (3) land subsidence in the Texas Coastal Bend could be attributed mainly to hydrocarbon and groundwater extraction as well as vertical movements along growth faults, and (4) land subsidence increased both flood frequency and severity in the Texas Coastal Bend. Our results provide valuable information regarding not only land deformation rates in the Texas Coastal Bend region, but also the effectiveness of interferometric techniques for other coastal rural areas around the globe.
Highlights
More than 30% of the world’s population lives in coastal areas, and 50%are expected to do so by 2030 [1]
This histogram indicates that the average interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR)-derived deformation rate was estimated at −1.59 ± 4.07 mm/year
We identified rapid local land subsidence, with spatial variability, in seven
Summary
More than 30% of the world’s population lives in coastal areas, and 50%are expected to do so by 2030 [1]. Most coastal areas are witnessing land surface deformation [2,3,4]. Surface deformation, represented by subsidence and uplift, is a change in the elevation of the Earth’s surface in response to localized geologic changes, such as sediment compaction, fluid withdrawal, and fault slipping. Land subsidence makes coastal communities more vulnerable to natural forces, such as flooding, hurricanes, and sea level rise [5,6,7]. Hurricanes and flooding are both associated with a loss of life, livestock, crops, and natural habitat; property damage; and contamination of surface and groundwater resources [8,9]. Sea level rise is usually associated with inundation of wetlands and deltas, enhanced coastal erosion, increased vulnerability of coastal environments to storms, and seawater intrusion/pollution in coastal aquifers and surface water [10,11]
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