Abstract

Based on the four types of SAR images from Envisat, Radarsat-2, and TerraSAR-X between 2007 and 2019, a linear time-series analysis of Coherence Targets method is employed to acquire the 13-year deformation velocity and cumulative deformation maps of the Beijing Plain. Such measurement firstly provides the annual subsidence rate and spatial evolution characteristics of the subsidence areas and the maximum subsidence rates in Laiguangying–Ciqu, which is the largest subsidence area of the Beijing Plain, were beyond 14 cm/year from 2009 to 2018. We correlate the observed subsidence with land use, Quaternary strata and pre-existing faults to assess the driving mechanisms of land subsidence. We find that large-scale land subsidence or patchy subsidence in the Beijing Plain takes on a similar variation to dry land and rural settlements/manufacturing enterprise land use. We also observe that the subsiding areas are mainly distributed in the edge of Alluvial–Proluval Fan or in the lacustrine or swampy sediments among Alluvial–Proluval Fans with much thicker compressible deposits, and the high subsidence gradients orientate along active faults. Therefore, this research could contribute to propose effective control measures for subsidence and ground fissure and achieve better hazard mitigation programme in Beijing.