Understanding the Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Land Subsidence and Rebound in the Lianjiang Plain Using Time-Series InSAR with Dual-Track Sentinel-1 Data

Abstract

The Lianjiang Plain, renowned for its position as ‘China’s textile hub’ and characterized by its high population density, has experienced considerable subsidence due to excessive groundwater extraction in recent years. Although some studies have investigated short-term subsidence in this plain, research on long-term subsidence and rebound remain understudied. In this paper, the characteristics of surface deformation in the Lijiang Plain during two periods (2015–2017 and 2018–2021) have been investigated using the time-series interferometric synthetic aperture radar (TS-InSAR) technique, and the correlation with the changes in groundwater level, geological factors, and urban construction are discussed. The InSAR-derived results are cross-validated with the adjacent orbit datasets. Large-scale and uneven subsidence ranging from −124 mm/year to +40 mm/year is observed from 2015 to 2017. However, a significant decrease in the subsidence rate during 2018–2021, with local rebound deformation up to +48 mm/year in three regions, is also observed. Groundwater level changes are found to be the major cause of the ground deformation, and the intercomparison between groundwater level and ground displacement time series from TS-InSAR measurements also indicates a clear relationship between them during 2018–2021. Geological factors control the range of deformation area over the study period. The impact of urban construction on surface subsidence is evident, contributing to high deformation. Our findings could improve the understanding of how deformation is affected by groundwater rebound and offer valuable insights into groundwater management, urban planning, and land subsidence mitigation.