Sentinel-1 InSAR-derived land subsidence assessment along the Texas Gulf Coast

Abstract

Mapping large-scale coastal subsidence is significant in providing valuable support to decision-making stakeholders to recognize impacts of potential natural disasters. However, this task presents significant challenges due to its highly complex nature of the spatial–temporal variability. Recent advances in the observation capability of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions and the processing algorithms of interferometric SAR (InSAR) techniques have made it possible to efficiently map large-scale subsidence from space. This study utilized the persistent scatterer (PS) InSAR method to process four swathes of Sentinel-1 SAR images captured between 2016 and 2022 to map large-scale subsidence along the Texas coastline. The subsidence map, encompassing over 1.7 million PS points, was calibrated/validated with observations of 115 continuously operating global navigation satellite system (cGNSS) stations. Nineteen subsiding hotspots were identified and potential subsidence drivers were analyzed, including hydrocarbon extraction (HE), groundwater withdrawal (GW), and salt domes. The results suggest that HE activities were the primary driver of observed subsidence in the Coastal Bend and South Texas, as well as in the Southeast Texas regions. In the Houston-Galveston Area, subsidence appears to be influenced by a combination of GW, HE, and salt dome movements. Within 50 km of the Texas shorelines, subsidence rates were approximately −1.0 mm/yr within the coastal vicinity, while inland areas experience a gradually increasing trend. Specific coastal areas, such as Corpus Christi, Freeport, Seabrook, San Leon, and others, may face elevated flooding risks during high tide and storm events with the sea-level rise trend up to 24.0 mm/yr in relation to coastal subsiding land.