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 ∼2.3mmyr-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.