Soil deformation analysis through fluid-dynamic modelling and DInSAR measurements: a focus on groundwater withdrawal in the Ravenna area (Italy)

This study aims at assessing the deformation processes affecting an area NW of the
city of Ravenna (northern Italy), caused by groundwater withdrawal activities. In-situ
data, geologic and structural maps, piezometric measurements, underground water
withdrawal volumes, and satellite C-band SAR data were used to jointly exploit two
different techniques: 1) fluid-dynamic and geomechanical modelling (by RSE S.p.A),
and 2) Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR) analysis (by
CNR - IREA). The results of the comparative analysis presented in this work brought
new evidence about the contribution of groundwater withdrawal to the total subsidence
affecting the area during the 2000-2017 time interval. In particular, they show an
increase of the subsidence from year 2000 to 2010 and a decrease from year 2010 to
2017. These results are generally in line with groundwater withdrawal data that report
a reduction of the extracted water volumes during the considered temporal interval.
Meantime, they show a delay effect in the subsidence process, partially recovered
during the 2010-2017 thanks to a stabilisation of the extracted groundwater volumes.
The presented results shade new light on the groundwater withdrawal contribution to
the subsidence of the analysed zone, although further investigations are foreseen to
better clarify the ongoing scenario.