Uncovering the impacts of depleting aquifers

A remote sensing analysis of land subsidence in Iran

verfasst von: Mahmud Haghshenas Haghighi, Mahdi Motagh
Abstract: Intensive groundwater pumping, previously unrecognized in its full extent, is blamed for aquifer degradation and widespread land subsidence in Iran. We use a 100-meter resolution satellite survey from 2014 to 2020 to assess the recent implications of groundwater usage across the country. Results indicate that approximately 56,000 km2 (3.5%) of the country's area is subject to land subsidence, primarily linked to irrigation; 3000 km2 of this area experiences subsidence rates greater than 10 cm/year. The central plateau catchment hosts two-thirds of the country's depleting aquifers, with locations sinking at rates higher than 35 cm/year. The results suggest an annual groundwater depletion of 1.7 billion cubic meters (BCM) from confined and semiconfined aquifers, with the long-term inelastic compaction for most aquifers being approximately one order of magnitude larger than their seasonal elastic response. This underscores the permanent loss of aquifers that jeopardizes the sustainability of water resources across Iran.
Organisationseinheit(en): Institut für Photogrammetrie und Geoinformation
Externe Organisation(en): Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ)
Typ: Artikel
Journal: Science advances
Band: 10
Anzahl der Seiten: 11
ISSN: 2375-2548
Publikationsdatum: 10.05.2024
Publikationsstatus: Veröffentlicht
Peer-reviewed: Ja
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete: Allgemein
Elektronische Version(en): https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adk3039 (Zugang: Offen)

BibTeX

@article{dbbc242b64cd42eeb717cca2c6613602,
title = "Uncovering the impacts of depleting aquifers: A remote sensing analysis of land subsidence in Iran",
abstract = "Intensive groundwater pumping, previously unrecognized in its full extent, is blamed for aquifer degradation and widespread land subsidence in Iran. We use a 100-meter resolution satellite survey from 2014 to 2020 to assess the recent implications of groundwater usage across the country. Results indicate that approximately 56,000 km2 (3.5%) of the country's area is subject to land subsidence, primarily linked to irrigation; 3000 km2 of this area experiences subsidence rates greater than 10 cm/year. The central plateau catchment hosts two-thirds of the country's depleting aquifers, with locations sinking at rates higher than 35 cm/year. The results suggest an annual groundwater depletion of 1.7 billion cubic meters (BCM) from confined and semiconfined aquifers, with the long-term inelastic compaction for most aquifers being approximately one order of magnitude larger than their seasonal elastic response. This underscores the permanent loss of aquifers that jeopardizes the sustainability of water resources across Iran.",
author = "Haghighi, {Mahmud Haghshenas} and Mahdi Motagh",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Authors.",
year = "2024",
month = may,
day = "10",
doi = "10.1126/sciadv.adk3039",
language = "English",
volume = "10",
journal = "Science advances",
issn = "2375-2548",
publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",
number = "19",
}