From ERS-1/2 to Sentinel-1: two decades of subsidence monitored through A-DInSAR techniques in the Ravenna area (Italy)

Abstract

Land subsidence due to underground resources exploitation is a well-known problem that affects many cities in the world, especially the ones located along the coastal areas where the combined effect of subsidence and sea level rise increases the flooding risk. In this study, 25 years of land subsidence affecting the Municipality of Ravenna (Italy) are monitored using Advanced Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (A-DInSAR) techniques. In particular, the exploitation of the new Sentinel-1A SAR data allowed us to extend the monitoring period till 2016, giving a better understanding of the temporal evolution of the phenomenon in the area. Two statistical approaches are applied to fully exploit the informative potential of the A-DInSAR results in a fast and systematic way. Thanks to the applied analyses, we described the behavior of the subsidence during the monitored period along with the relationship between the occurrence of the displacement and its main driving factors.