Characterizing aquifer properties in the Taiyuan Basin, Northern China, using ground deformation from Sentinel-1 InSAR time series analysis

作者：Xiangjun Zhao, Wei Tang, Guangyao Hao, Hengqian Zhao, Wei Xiong · 发表于：Journal of Hydrology Regional Studies · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.ejrh.2025.102313 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Applications and Techniques、Geophysical Methods and Applications、Rock Mechanics and Modeling

The Taiyuan Basin in northern China, a semi-arid region where prolonged groundwater overexploitation has resulted in severe land subsidence and irreversible aquifer storage loss. By integrating Sentinel-1 InSAR time series analysis (2015–2020) and groundwater level measurements, we developed a geophysical model to quantify seasonal deformation signals and the time-lagged relationships between land subsidence and groundwater level changes. Through incorporating time-lag corrections, we refined estimations of the elastic skeletal storage coefficient S k e and groundwater storage variations. A novel method was proposed to separate elastic deformations in sand and clay layers based on their distinct hydraulic response characteristics. Land subsidence lags groundwater level changes by an average of 39 days, revealing delayed compaction dominated by low-permeability clay layers. Recoverable groundwater storage accounts for merely 5 % of total losses, indicating that most of subsidence results from inelastic clay compression, which underscores a critical risk of permanent aquifer storage capacity depletion. The observed 54-day delayed response in clay layers correlates with their thickness and multi-layered structure, offering critical parameters for predicting the structure of multi-layered aquifer systems. This study systematically elucidates the groundwater-subsidence coupling mechanisms, providing new insights for characterizing over-exploited aquifers and advancing sustainable ...