Identification of potential subsidence related to pumping in the Almería basin (SE Spain) |
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| Authors: | Antonio Pulido‐Bosch José Delgado Fernando Sola Ángela Vallejos Fernando Vicente Juan M López‐Sánchez Jordi J Mallorquí |
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| Institution: | 1. Departamento de Hidrogeología, Universidad de Almería, 04120 Almería, Spain;2. Departamento de Ingeniería de la Construcción, Universidad de Alicante, Ap. Correos 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain;3. Departamento de Física, Ingeniería de Sistemas y Teoría de la Se?al, Universidad de Alicante, Ap. Correos 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain;4. Departamento Teoria del Senyal i Comunicacions, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Campus Nord, Ed. D3, c/Jordi Girona, 1‐3, 08034 Barcelona, Spain |
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| Abstract: | Ground subsidence of detrital deposits in the Almería basin (SE Spain) was studied using the remote sensing technique of Differential Interferometry SAR (DInSAR). This basin is one of the most arid in Europe, receiving an average rainfall of 250 mm per year. Over the last 60 years the region has experienced an enormous agricultural and urban expansion, whose water demand has been largely supplied from groundwater, leading to the current situation of overexploitation of water resources. This paper outlines the likely relationship between groundwater abstraction and subsidence. To this end, 34 ERS and Envisat images, taken between 2003 and 2009, were analysed to estimate ground surface deformations, and hence, compared with water table variations measured in a number of piezometers in the basin. The analysis shows a clear parallelism between the variations in piezometric level and deformation of the ground surface. In addition, the zones of greatest subsidence coincide with those areas where groundwater abstractions are concentrated. Subsidence over the examined period varies from 10 to 30 mm, with extreme values as high as 50 mm, which translates to a rate of between 1·7 and 5 mm/year, reaching maximum rates of 8 mm/year at some points. Given such subsidence rates, damage to urban infrastructures are, for the moment, incipient. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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| Keywords: | subsidence differential SAR interferometry (DInSAR) water table building damages Almeria basin |
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