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

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Osman Orhan
  • Mahmud Haghshenas Haghighi
  • Vahdettin Demir
  • Ergin Gökkaya
  • Francisco Gutiérrez
  • Djamil Al-Halbouni

External Research Organisations

  • Mersin University
  • KTO Karatay University
  • Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University
  • Universidad de Zaragoza
  • Leipzig University
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number5
Number of pages22
JournalGeosciences (Switzerland)
Volume14
Issue number1
Early online date22 Dec 2023
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Abstract

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.

Keywords

    InSAR, Konya Closed Basin, land subsidence, Sentinel-1, sinkhole

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sustainable Development Goals

Cite this

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Land Subsidence and Sinkhole Occurrence in the Konya Endorheic Basin, Turkey. / Orhan, Osman; Haghshenas Haghighi, Mahmud; Demir, Vahdettin et al.
In: Geosciences (Switzerland), Vol. 14, No. 1, 5, 2024.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Orhan, O, Haghshenas Haghighi, M, Demir, V, Gökkaya, E, Gutiérrez, F & Al-Halbouni, D 2024, 'Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Land Subsidence and Sinkhole Occurrence in the Konya Endorheic Basin, Turkey', Geosciences (Switzerland), vol. 14, no. 1, 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14010005
Orhan, O., Haghshenas Haghighi, M., Demir, V., Gökkaya, E., Gutiérrez, F., & Al-Halbouni, D. (2024). Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Land Subsidence and Sinkhole Occurrence in the Konya Endorheic Basin, Turkey. Geosciences (Switzerland), 14(1), Article 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences14010005
Orhan O, Haghshenas Haghighi M, Demir V, Gökkaya E, Gutiérrez F, Al-Halbouni D. Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Land Subsidence and Sinkhole Occurrence in the Konya Endorheic Basin, Turkey. Geosciences (Switzerland). 2024;14(1):5. Epub 2023 Dec 22. doi: 10.3390/geosciences14010005
Orhan, Osman ; Haghshenas Haghighi, Mahmud ; Demir, Vahdettin et al. / Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Land Subsidence and Sinkhole Occurrence in the Konya Endorheic Basin, Turkey. In: Geosciences (Switzerland). 2024 ; Vol. 14, No. 1.
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