Spatiotemporal Patterns of Human-Induced Subsidence in the Yellow River Delta Region revealed by Ascending and Descending Orbit Time-Series InSAR

Severe subsidence poses a significant threat to coastal river deltas, bringing substantial hazards. The Yellow River Delta, being the youngest of such deltas, is particularly vulnerable due to its unstable sedimentary structure. It has experienced significant subsidence as a result of frequent human activities. The InSAR technology facilitates large-area, long-term deformation monitoring of the Yellow River Delta region. Current research has identified that subsidence in the Yellow River Delta is primarily influenced by groundwater extraction and oil exploitation. However, there is a lack of comprehensive study on the spatiotemporal patterns of subsidence induced by different human activities. To acquire extensive and long-term surface subsidence information in the Yellow River Delta region and analyze its causes, this study utilizes 92 ascending Sentinel-1 satellite images and 79 descending Sentinel-1 satellite images. Applying the SBAS-DInSAR technique, the research investigates ground subsidence in the area from January 2019 to April 2022. The study includes an integration of interferometric fringes and DInSAR deformation monitoring results, along with ascending and descending orbit deformation rates for internal accuracy cross-checking. Additionally, it examines the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and causes in different human-impacted areas. The results indicate that the deformation rates from ascending and descending orbits show high consistency, with a correlation coefficient exceeding 0.8. Significant subsidence areas in the Yellow River Delta are concentrated in the eastern coastal regions, with the maximum subsidence rate reaching approximately -255 mm/year. The primary human-induced factors contributing to subsidence include the extraction of underground brine, oil, and groundwater. Additionally, natural factors like temperature, precipitation, and evaporation also impact subsidence. Notably, the deformation rate changes induced by precipitation exhibit a delayed response. Human activities, with their varying types and intensities, impart distinct temporal characteristics to subsidence. In areas like wetlands, urban regions, and farmlands, deformation is influenced by changes in groundwater levels, resulting in smaller deformation magnitudes and fluctuating deformation rates affected by variations in rainfall, temperature, and evaporation. Oil extraction deformation exhibits long-term change characteristics, influenced by the volume of oil extracted and water injection; from January 2019 to July 2020, a subsidence trend was observed, followed by a slow rebound after July 2020. Subsidence induced by groundwater extraction is characterized by rapid and stable deformation rates. Temporally, significant linear rate subsidence occurred from January to August 2019, with varying degrees of rebound from June 2019 to March 2020, followed by a return to subsidence. Influenced by heavy rainfall, there is a minor rebound each year from July to August.