Land Subsidence in the Singapore Coastal Area with Long Time Series of TerraSAR-X SAR Data

Abstract

Global sea level rise is a major environmental concern for many countries and cities, particularly for low-lying coastal areas where urban development is threatened by the combined effects of sea level rise and land subsidence. This study employed an improved two-layer network Persistent Scatterers Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) technology to obtain high-precision land subsidence in Singapore from 2015 to 2019. Landsat images from 1973 to 2020 were also utilized to extract changes in Singapore’s coastline. Geological, topographical, and global sea level rise data were integrated to investigate the causes and impacts of land subsidence in Singapore. The results indicate that the areas with severe subsidence coincide with land reclamation areas, where subsidence is mainly due to soil consolidation. Based on WorldDEM, land subsidence, and sea level rise data, the maximum inundation depth in Singapore by 2050 is estimated to be 1.24 m, with the Marina Bay area in Singapore’s central business district being the most vulnerable to sea level rise. This study provides data support and a scientific basis for understanding the impact of land subsidence on Singapore’s coastal areas under the influence of multiple factors using advanced InSAR technology.

Keywords

• Singapore
• land subsidence
• PS-InSAR
• sea level
• land reclamation