TY - JOUR

T1 - Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Land Subsidence and Sinkhole Occurrence in the Konya Endorheic Basin, Turkey

AU - Orhan, Osman

AU - Haghshenas Haghighi, Mahmud

AU - Demir, Vahdettin

AU - Gökkaya, Ergin

AU - Gutiérrez, Francisco

AU - Al-Halbouni, Djamil

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - The endorheic Konya Basin is a vast aggradational plain in Central Anatolia, Türkiye. It occupies a significant portion of Konya Province, covering approximately 50,000 km2. The basin is subjected to intense groundwater withdrawal and extensive agricultural activities with excessive irrigation. These activities have led to human-induced hazards, such as sinkholes and regional land subsidence. Although sinkhole occurrence mainly occurs in the Karapınar area, land subsidence is primarily observed in the central sector of Konya city, with 2 million inhabitants, as well as in various parts of the basin. This study focuses on determining the extent and rate of land subsidence throughout the basin, understanding sinkhole formation, and unraveling their relationship with anthropogenic activities. For this purpose, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) analysis of Sentinel-1 data from 2014 to 2022 was conducted to identify and assess land subsidence. We also used the land cover data and groundwater-level information to better understand the spatial and temporal patterns of land subsidence and sinkhole occurrence. Additionally, the land cover data were used to resolve spatial–temporal variations in the cultivated area and urbanization, which are the main factors governing groundwater exploitation in the region. Our study identified widespread subsidence zones with rates as high as 90 mm/y. Groundwater overexploitation to sustain extensive agricultural operations is the main cause of the high rate of land subsidence. Additionally, it was discovered that the number of sinkholes has substantially increased due to anthropogenic influences, currently amounting to as many as 660.

AB - The endorheic Konya Basin is a vast aggradational plain in Central Anatolia, Türkiye. It occupies a significant portion of Konya Province, covering approximately 50,000 km2. The basin is subjected to intense groundwater withdrawal and extensive agricultural activities with excessive irrigation. These activities have led to human-induced hazards, such as sinkholes and regional land subsidence. Although sinkhole occurrence mainly occurs in the Karapınar area, land subsidence is primarily observed in the central sector of Konya city, with 2 million inhabitants, as well as in various parts of the basin. This study focuses on determining the extent and rate of land subsidence throughout the basin, understanding sinkhole formation, and unraveling their relationship with anthropogenic activities. For this purpose, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) analysis of Sentinel-1 data from 2014 to 2022 was conducted to identify and assess land subsidence. We also used the land cover data and groundwater-level information to better understand the spatial and temporal patterns of land subsidence and sinkhole occurrence. Additionally, the land cover data were used to resolve spatial–temporal variations in the cultivated area and urbanization, which are the main factors governing groundwater exploitation in the region. Our study identified widespread subsidence zones with rates as high as 90 mm/y. Groundwater overexploitation to sustain extensive agricultural operations is the main cause of the high rate of land subsidence. Additionally, it was discovered that the number of sinkholes has substantially increased due to anthropogenic influences, currently amounting to as many as 660.

KW - InSAR

KW - Konya Closed Basin

KW - land subsidence

KW - Sentinel-1

KW - sinkhole

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85183113941&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/geosciences14010005

DO - 10.3390/geosciences14010005

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85183113941

VL - 14

JO - Geosciences (Switzerland)

JF - Geosciences (Switzerland)

IS - 1

M1 - 5

ER -