Land Subsidence and Aquifer‐System Storage Loss in Central Mexico: A Quasi‐Continental Investigation With Sentinel‐1 InSAR

Abstract Aquifers play an important role in addressing water needs worldwide. When overexploited, they may lose storage and compact, causing land subsidence and impacts on urban landscapes. Using Sentinel‐1 satellite imagery, we perform the largest ever‐made Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar...

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Main Authors: F. Cigna, D. Tapete
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-08-01
Series:Geophysical Research Letters
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098923
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author F. Cigna
D. Tapete
author_facet F. Cigna
D. Tapete
author_sort F. Cigna
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Aquifers play an important role in addressing water needs worldwide. When overexploited, they may lose storage and compact, causing land subsidence and impacts on urban landscapes. Using Sentinel‐1 satellite imagery, we perform the largest ever‐made Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) survey over Mexico, across a 700,000 km2 area hosting >85.2 million inhabitants. We estimate present‐day subsidence rates for yet unmapped and well‐known hotspots (e.g., −45 cm/year in Mexico City), and compute compaction volumes at >300 aquifer‐systems (up to −60 hm3/year at Mexico City Metropolitan Area). InSAR‐derived aquifer‐system compaction generally correlates well with groundwater deficits, extractions and storage changes from management reports. Semi‐theoretical relationships for the whole Central Mexico and hydrological‐administrative regions VII, VIII, and XIII, enable the assessment of compaction rates and volumes resulting from groundwater exploitation. These could be used to inform groundwater management strategies towards adaptation to climate change and future needs of a growing population.
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spelling doaj-art-aa0f6eaaec9a4061a32c59f664a57b642025-08-20T03:10:20ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072022-08-014915n/an/a10.1029/2022GL098923Land Subsidence and Aquifer‐System Storage Loss in Central Mexico: A Quasi‐Continental Investigation With Sentinel‐1 InSARF. Cigna0D. Tapete1National Research Council (CNR) Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) Rome ItalyItalian Space Agency (ASI) Rome ItalyAbstract Aquifers play an important role in addressing water needs worldwide. When overexploited, they may lose storage and compact, causing land subsidence and impacts on urban landscapes. Using Sentinel‐1 satellite imagery, we perform the largest ever‐made Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) survey over Mexico, across a 700,000 km2 area hosting >85.2 million inhabitants. We estimate present‐day subsidence rates for yet unmapped and well‐known hotspots (e.g., −45 cm/year in Mexico City), and compute compaction volumes at >300 aquifer‐systems (up to −60 hm3/year at Mexico City Metropolitan Area). InSAR‐derived aquifer‐system compaction generally correlates well with groundwater deficits, extractions and storage changes from management reports. Semi‐theoretical relationships for the whole Central Mexico and hydrological‐administrative regions VII, VIII, and XIII, enable the assessment of compaction rates and volumes resulting from groundwater exploitation. These could be used to inform groundwater management strategies towards adaptation to climate change and future needs of a growing population.https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098923
spellingShingle F. Cigna
D. Tapete
Land Subsidence and Aquifer‐System Storage Loss in Central Mexico: A Quasi‐Continental Investigation With Sentinel‐1 InSAR
Geophysical Research Letters
title Land Subsidence and Aquifer‐System Storage Loss in Central Mexico: A Quasi‐Continental Investigation With Sentinel‐1 InSAR
title_full Land Subsidence and Aquifer‐System Storage Loss in Central Mexico: A Quasi‐Continental Investigation With Sentinel‐1 InSAR
title_fullStr Land Subsidence and Aquifer‐System Storage Loss in Central Mexico: A Quasi‐Continental Investigation With Sentinel‐1 InSAR
title_full_unstemmed Land Subsidence and Aquifer‐System Storage Loss in Central Mexico: A Quasi‐Continental Investigation With Sentinel‐1 InSAR
title_short Land Subsidence and Aquifer‐System Storage Loss in Central Mexico: A Quasi‐Continental Investigation With Sentinel‐1 InSAR
title_sort land subsidence and aquifer system storage loss in central mexico a quasi continental investigation with sentinel 1 insar
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL098923
work_keys_str_mv AT fcigna landsubsidenceandaquifersystemstoragelossincentralmexicoaquasicontinentalinvestigationwithsentinel1insar
AT dtapete landsubsidenceandaquifersystemstoragelossincentralmexicoaquasicontinentalinvestigationwithsentinel1insar