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Monitoring ground deformation in the settlement of Larissa in Central Greece by implementing SAR interferometry

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Abstract

The settlement of Larissa in the eastern part of Central Greece suffers from continued land deformation as evidenced by ground fissures, sinkholes and subsidence. We used three different interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) techniques to monitor ground deformation dynamics in the study area. Spatial patterns of short-term changes (35 days) were studied using conventional InSAR, longer-term changes (13 years) by interferometric stacking, and change dynamics of single objects was assessed by permanent scatterer technique. The results indicate co-occurring subsidence and uplift processes in the region with their average annual change rates reaching up to −2.9 and 6.6 mm a−1, respectively. Some of these changes may be attributed to tectonic fault movements, but there are also other mechanisms of continued ground deformation in the region, particularly the swelling and shrinking of expansive soils and human-induced changes in the groundwater level.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the European Space Agency (ESA) for providing the ERS_1/2, ENVISAT ASAR data. We also acknowledge Mr. Issaak Parcharidis for his comments and suggestions significantly improved an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Geology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland

    Falah Fakhri & Risto Kalliola

  2. Department of Geography, Harokopio University of Athens, El. Venizelou 70, 17671, Athens, Greece

    Falah Fakhri

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  1. Falah Fakhri
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  2. Risto Kalliola
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Correspondence to Falah Fakhri.

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Falah Fakhri awarded PhD from Harokopio University of Athens

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Fakhri, F., Kalliola, R. Monitoring ground deformation in the settlement of Larissa in Central Greece by implementing SAR interferometry. Nat Hazards 78, 1429–1445 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-1779-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-1779-6

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