Vertical land movements assessment integrating Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, in-situ
data, and engineering-geological model: The case study of the reclaimed farmland of the Po River Delta (Italy)
L. Pedretti, C. Meisina
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
P. Teatini
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
T. Letterio
Consorzio di Bonifica di Secondo Grado per il Canale Emiliano Romagnolo, Bologna, Italy
G. Bru, C. Guardiola-Albert
Instituto Geologico y Minero de Espana (IGME), Madrid, Spain
Ro Tomas, M. Navarro-Hernandez
Civil Engineering Department, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
A. Bondesan, Y. Taddia
Consorzio di Bonifica Pianura di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
ABSTRACT
Low-elevation reclaimed coastlands face significant challenges from land subsidence and sea-level rise, making
long-term monitoring of ground movements crucial to ensure infrastructure safety and preserve the natural
environment. This study aims to reconstruct the long-term historical ground deformation of the reclaimed
farmland in the Po River Delta by: i) integrating nearly 30 years of multisource, multi-temporal, and multisensor
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) satellite data (ERS-1/2, RADARSAT-1/2, Sentinel-1); ii)
combining multisource InSAR datasets generated using different algorithms covering distinct or overlapping time
periods (Sentinel-1 PSI, P-SBAS, and IPTA); and iii) developing a 3D engineering-geological model focused on the
under-consolidated fine-grained deposits that are more prone to subsidence. By combining multiple monitoring
techniques, this multidisciplinary approach reveals that land subsidence is primarily driven by autocompaction
of under-consolidated finegrained sediments, locally accelerated by building construction, as evidenced by InSAR
data. The highest subsidence rates occur in the youngest reclaimed areas with thicker under-consolidated fine-
grained deposits.
While integrating multisensor InSAR datasets from diverse sources to reconstruct longterm ground deforma-
tion presents challenges, it also yields valuable insights. In this work, we demonstrate that heterogeneous
datasets can still be valuable when interpreted carefully and that the feasibility of combining legacy and modern
InSAR data for long historical deformation reconstruction is a practical challenge in real-world data integration.
Moreover, this comprehensive approach enables updating spatial and temporal records of land movement and
identifying conditioning factors for inclusion in land movement susceptibility and risk maps supporting land
planning.
