Understanding the Impact of Land Subsidence on Flooding in the Southeast Texas Coastal Region Using PS-InSAR

Due to its geographic location and geologic conditions, the southeast Texas (SETX) coast has been exposed to geological hazards, including land subsidence, floods, and coastal erosion. This study aims to assess recent subsidence areas and rates to understand their impact on flooding in SETX. The persistence scatterer interferometric synthetic aperture radar (PS-InSAR) method was applied in the study area using Sentinel-1 SAR satellite data with descending orbit observations from January 2020 to March 2023. The results show that subsidence areas were observed over northwestern Houston of up to 2 cm/year, consistent with GPS and groundwater-level data. The study highlights the significant temporal and spatial variations in subsidence rates, largely influenced by local groundwater extraction practices. By promoting the integration of InSAR, GPS, and groundwater measurements, this study seeks to contribute to mitigating subsidence and flood hazards in the SETX area.