Detection of subsidence in the Ebro Delta plain using DInSAR: analysis of the measurements and the factors that control the phenomenon

Abstract

The Ebro Delta is a highly vulnerable Mediterranean coastal ecosystems located on the northern Mediterranean coast of Spain. Determining its subsidence rate and sources is a key issue for the present and future management of this area. Differential Interferometry Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) compared with the contribution to subsidence of the compaction of delta's sediments and the lithosphere's deformation, indicated a general Ebro Delta subsidence ranging from <1 to ∼ 2.3 mm yr−1. Subsidence is determined to be mainly driven by natural sediment compaction (∼ 76 %), with areas strongly influenced by local processes associated to their sedimentary distribution and composition, or external factors such as sea level rise.