Deformation Detection and Attribution Analysis of Urban Areas near Dianchi Lake in Kunming Using the Time-Series InSAR Technique

The main city of Kunming is located on the north bank of Dianchi Lake. The complex geological environment, large-scale construction, and expansion of the city in recent years have caused uneven land surface subsidence and threatened public safety. In this study, Sentinel-1 ascending and descending orbit datasets were collected for the period of February 2018 to May 2021. The characteristics of surface displacement in the Kunming downtown area were monitored using the time-series interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technique, and attribution analysis was performed. It was found that areas with more severe surface settlement were concentrated in the International Exhibition Center area and the large, newly built communities near Dianchi Lake and the Xiaobanqiao Region. The multifactor attribution analysis results demonstrated that the subsidence areas are concentrated in urban villages and engineered, construction-intensive areas in the lakeside sedimentary layer area, with the maximum displacement rate reaching -23.12 mm/a in the line-of-sight direction of the Sentinel-1 ascending dataset. The reliability of the InSAR results was cross-validated with ascending and descending results. This study provides a scientific reference for urban development planning and potential geological disaster detection in Kunming.

Automated summary

The complex geological environment and large-scale construction in Kunming have caused uneven land surface subsidence and threatened public safety. This study used the InSAR technique to monitor the surface displacement characteristics in the downtown area and conducted attribution analysis. Areas with more severe surface settlement were found to be concentrated in specific locations, such as the International Exhibition Center area and newly built communities near Dianchi Lake and the Xiaobanqiao Region.