Abstract
Abstract. Land subsidence occurred at the Venice coastland over the 2008–2011 period has been investigated by Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) using a stack of 90 TerraSAR-X stripmap images with a 3 m resolution and a 11-day revisiting time. The regular X-band SAR acquisitions over more than three years coupled with the very-high image resolution has significantly improved the monitoring of ground displacements at regional and local scales, e.g., the entire lagoon, especially the historical palaces, the MoSE large structures under construction at the lagoon inlets to disconnect the lagoon from the Adriatic Sea during high tides, and single small structures scattered within the lagoon environments. Our results show that subsidence is characterized by a certain variability at the regional scale with superimposed important local displacements. The movements range from a gentle uplift to subsidence rates of up to 35 mm yr−1. For instance, settlements of 30–35 mm yr−1 have been detected at the three lagoon inlets in correspondence of the MoSE works, and local sinking bowls up to 10 mm yr−1 connected with the construction of new large buildings or restoration works have been measured in the Venice and Chioggia historical centers. Focusing on the city of Venice, the mean subsidence of 1.1 ± 1.0 mm yr−1 confirms the general stability of the historical center.
Highlights
Cities in lowlying coastlands and deltaic regions are the sites most susceptible to land subsidence worldwide
The movement velocity ranges from a gentle uplift (∼2 mm yr−1) to large subsidence
To previous results obtained with ENVISAT images (e.g., Teatini et al, 2012a, b), the monitoring outcome reveals that this portion of the Northern Adriatic coastland is characterized by a certain variability in terms of land subsidence at the large scale
Summary
Cities in lowlying coastlands and deltaic regions are the sites most susceptible to land subsidence worldwide. The influence of land subsidence on these communities and environments can be very significant, increasing vulnerability to saltwater intrusion and flooding, threatening agriculture and ecological systems. Land subsidence caused mainly by extraction of groundwater is threatening Jakarta (Ng et al, 2012), Ho Chi Minh City (Erban et al, 2014), Bangkok (Phien-wej et al, 2006), Shanghai (Dong et al, 2014), i.e. rapidly expanding urban areas which require huge amounts of water for domestic and industrial water supply. The city of Venice and its surrounding lagoon is presently one of the sites most sensitive to land subsidence worldwide. Even a few mm yr−1 loss of elevation with respect to the mean sea level can threaten the city’s survival and irrevocably change the natural environment of the lagoon
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