Assessment of Land Subsidence Variations in the Urmia Plain Aquifer Using Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Farhangian University, P.O.Box 14665 -889, Tehran,Iran

2 Master of Science, Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Urmia University

3 Associate Professor, Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Urmia University

Abstract

This study aims to analyze land subsidence variations and examine their relationship with groundwater level decline in the Urmia Plain aquifer, employing the Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) technique and Sentinel‑1 satellite data for the period 2015–2023, processed in the SNAP software environment. The results indicate that the highest subsidence rate, approximately 9 cm/year, occurred in the southern parts of the study area, whereas in the northern parts, ground uplift (positive displacement) was observed.

Concurrently, hydrogeological data from 23 piezometric wells over the period 2002–2022 reveal a severe groundwater level decline of more than 13 m during the past two decades. A key finding of the research is the presence of a nonlinear relationship between groundwater drawdown and subsidence intensity. Contrary to expectations, the largest extent of high‑class subsidence occurred in areas with moderate groundwater decline (−1.5 to −3.5 m), and the very high‑class subsidence zones were found in areas with low groundwater decline (0 to −1.5 m).

The present study demonstrates that the intensity of land subsidence is not necessarily directly correlated with the rate of excessive groundwater extraction. Surprisingly, the central and southern regions, characterized by moderate water loss, experienced the most significant subsidence, whereas the northern areas, despite severe water decline, exhibited negligible subsidence. This heterogeneous pattern suggests that local geological characteristics likely play a more determinative role in the spatial distribution of subsidence.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Journal of Hydrogeomorphology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 01 October 2025

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History

  • Receive Date: 28 June 2025
  • Revise Date: 01 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 01 October 2025

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