Analysis of Temporal and Spatial Evolution Characteristics of Land Subsidence in Western Songnen Plain Using Multisource Remote Sensing

Abstract

Abstract The exploitation of underground fluid is an important factor leading to land subsidence. The effects of mining depth, frequency, and mode on land subsidence are also different. The objective of this study was to develop a multisource method—including optical remote sensing interpretation, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technology, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)—to reveal the long-term temporal and spatial evolution law of subsidence characteristics driven by groundwater and oil extraction, as well as to reveal the formation mechanism and seasonal response law of land subsidence under the action of different driving factors. In this paper, we select the western region of Jilin Province located in Songnen Plain as the study area. The subsidence funnels in the study area are distributed in a porphyritic manner, and the distribution of the subsidence funnels has a certain correlation with the distribution of the pumping wells. In farmland areas, the subsidence is mainly caused by pumping groundwater. The annual land subsidence rate in the study area is -3.14 mm/a, and the maximum deformation rate in the study area is -22.05 mm/a. The subsidence is affected by the season, shown by the fact that it rises in the dry season and decreases in the rainy season. The subsidence in the west of Songnen Plain is caused by oil pumping and groundwater pumping, and groundwater pumping is dominant. The exploitation of underground fluid transfers the pressure borne by water or oil to the soil skeleton so as to increase and consolidate the effective stress of the soil layer and lead to land subsidence. The continuous observation of the surface in the western area of Songnen Plain is helpful to guide the safe production of agriculture and industry and ensure the smooth development of local industry and agriculture.