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We present the result of a test aimed at evaluating the capability of RADARSAT-2 and COSMO-SkyMed to map the natural subsidence and ground movements induced by anthropogenic activities in the historical center of Venice. Firstly, ground movements have been retrieved at quite long- and short-term by the Persistent Scattered Interferometry (PSI) on 2008-2015 RADARSAT-2 and 2013-2015 COSMO-SkyMed image stacks, respectively. Secondly, PSI has been calibrated at regional scale using the records of permanent GPS stations. Thirdly, considering that over the last two decades "in the historical center of Venice" natural land movements are primarily ascribed to long-term processes, and those induced by human activities act at short-term, we have properly resampled 83-month RADARSAT-2 C-band and 27-month COSMO-SkyMed X-band interferometric products by a common grid and processed the outcome to estimate the two components of the displacements. Results show that the average natural subsidence is generally in the range of 0.9 - 1.1 mm/yr and the anthropogenic ground movements are up to 2 mm/yr.

From leveling to SAR-based interferometry, the monitoring of land subsidence has improved significantly. However, the accurate assessment of the ground movements by SAR in deltaic regions, where marshlands, coastal infrastructures, river embankments, farmlands, and urbanized areas coexist, is still a challenge. Usually, relatively small built-up zones and infrastructures are scattered within large natural and rural lands. In this contribution we present a multi-band SAR methodology to integrate COSMO-SkyMed and ALOS-PALSAR images. The method consists in a proper combination of the very high-resolution X-band Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI), which achieves high-density and precise measurements on single structures and constructed areas, with the L-band Short-Baseline SAR Interferometry (SBAS), properly implemented to rise its effectiveness in retrieving information in vegetated and wet zones. The combined methodology is applied on the Po River Delta, northern Italy, using 16 ALOS-PALSAR and 31 COSMO-SkyMed images covering the period between 2007 and 2011. After a proper calibration of the single PSI and SBAS solution using available GPS records, the dataset have been combined at both the regional and local scales. The measured displacements range from ~0 mm/yr to -35 mm/yr. The results reveal the variable pattern of the subsidence characterizing the more natural and rural environments without losing the accuracy in quantifying the sinking of urban areas and infrastructures. Moreover, they allow improving the interpretation of the natural and anthropogenic processes responsible for the ongoing subsidence, helping to delineate the relative importance of the various drivers contributing to the cumulative subsidence.

We detected land displacements of Venice by Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) using ERS and ENVISAT C-band and TerraSAR-X and COSMO-SkyMed X-band acquisitions over the periods 1992-2010 and 2008-2011, respectively. PSI provides the cumulative land displacements (natural plus anthropogenic) of the investigated area independently of the radar band. The natural subsidence rate depends on the reference period and, due to the present elevation of Venice with respect to the sea level, it is much more interesting for the city to evaluate the natural displacement over the last few decades, i.e. the present natural land subsidence, than that averaged over geological periods. Concerning anthropogenic land subsidence the contribution due to activities characterized by large scale and long term effects, e.g., that caused by groundwater withdrawals, ended a few decades ago. Today, the anthropogenic component of the land subsidence is only due to local, short-time interventions such as restoration works and inherent deformations of historical structures. By reason of the larger observation period, the C-band sensors were used to quantify the long-term movements, i.e. the subsidence component primarily ascribed to natural processes. The high resolution, short revisiting time X-band satellites reveal a high effectiveness to monitor shorttime movements as those induced by human activities. The statistical analysis of the displacement distributions measured by PSI points out that the average rates, i.e. the natural component of the subsidence, are almost equal with the C-band and X-band satellites. Conversely, the standard deviation with X-band acquisitions (1.6 mm/yr) is characterized by a value significantly larger than that detected with C-band images (0.7 mm/yr). The larger X-band variability superposes to a background velocity similar to that given by ERS/ENVISAT. It is reasonable to assume that the difference between the movements provided by ERS/ENVISAT and TerraSAR-X/COSMO-SkyMed is likely representative of the effects caused by anthropogenic activities. This hypothesis is supported by a proper processing of the two C and X-band measurements. The two datasets are interpolated by the Kriging method on the same regular grid covering the whole city. The grid spacing, fixed at 50 m, has been appropriately tuned to simultaneously i) filter out the outlier values provided by the C-band analysis; and ii) keep the heterogeneity of the displacements detected by the X-band investigation. Finally, the quantification of man-induced displacements is obtained by removing the C-band interpolated map from the X-band interpolated solution. The results show that a certain variability characterizes the 1992-2010 natural subsidence (0.9 0.7 mm/yr), mainly because of the heterogeneous nature and age of the lagoon subsoil. The present anthropogenic displacements occur at very local scale and are heterogeneously distributed with values ranging from -10 and 2 mm/yr in 2008. They are caused by conservation and reconstruction processes to preserve the building heritage together with urban maintenance activities such as restoring the embankment walls to guarantee the stability of the canal edges. Moreover, because the sinking zones are generally concentrated along the main channels bounding and crossing the city, waves induced by the intensive boat and ship traffic likely contribute by waking and eroding the fragile masonry canal banks and the building foundations. Geotechnical applications such as micropiles, anchors, jet grouting aimed at improving the subsoil characteristics are likely responsible for the greater stability locally observed in some portions of the city.

Deltas, lagoons, estuaries are generally much prone to land subsidence. They are also very sensitive to land lowering due to their small elevation with respect to the mean sea level, also in view of the expected eustatic sea rise due to climate changes. Land subsidence can be presently monitored with an impressive accuracy by Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) on the large megacities that are often located on lowlying coastlands, e.g., Shanghai (China) on the Yangtze River delta, Dhaka (Bangladesh) on the Gange River delta, New Orleans (Louisiana) on the Mississippi river delta. Conversely, the land movements of the portions of these transitional coastlands where natural environments still persist are very challenging to be measured. The lack of anthropogenic structures strongly limits the use of PSI and the difficult accessibility caused by the presence of marshlands, tidal marshes, channels, and ponds yield traditional methodologies, such as levelling and GPS, both time-consuming and costly. In this contribution we present a unique experimental study aimed at using a large network of artificial radar reflectors to measure land subsidence in natural coastal areas. The test site is the 60-km long, 10-15 km wide lagoon of Venice, Italy, where previous PSI investigations revealed the lack of radar reflectors in large portions of the northern and southern lagoon basins (e.g., Teatini et al., 2011). A network of 57 trihedral corner reflectors (TCRs) were established between the end of 2006 and the beginning of 2007 and monitored by ENVISAT ASAR and TerraSAR-X acquisitions covering the time period from 2007 to 2011 (Strozzi et al., 2012). The application has provided general important insights on the possibility of controlling land subsidence using this approach. For example: (i) relatively small-size (from 0.5 to 1.0 m edge length) and cheap (few hundred euros) TCRs suffice to be clearly detectable from the radar sensors because of the low backscattering intensity of the surrounding area; (ii) the network must be established resembling a sort of levelling benchmark network, i.e. with the TCRs placed keeping to a value of about 1.0-1.5 km the maximum distance between the TCRs or between an "artificial" and the adjacent "natural" reflectors to reliably resolve the radar phase ambiguities in the presence of atmospheric artifacts. Moreover, our experiment provided new information in order to improve the knowledge of the regional and local processes acting in the Venice Lagoon. We found that the northern basin of the lagoon is subsiding at a rate of about 3-4 mm/yr, while the central and the southern lagoon regions are more stable. At the local scale, i.e., the scale of the single salt marshes, significant differences have been detected depending, for example, on the nature and the architecture of Holocene deposits (Tosi et al., 2009).

Efficient Global Optimization (EGO) is an optimization strategy based on approximating functions, namely Gaussian process models. We show the application of this technique to a model calibration problem referred to a geomechanical application. By means of the approximating function an objective relevance ranking among the problem parameters can be produced, offering valuable and reusable information on the physical problem.

Land subsidence is a widespread phenomenon, particularly relevant to transitional environments, such as wetlands, deltas, and lagoons, characterized by low elevation with respect to the mean sea level. Satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry offers the possibility to effectively and precisely measure land displacements for dry surfaces or anthropogenic structures, but difficulties arise in identifying long-term stable targets in natural transitional regions. In order to improve the coverage of satellite SAR interferometry in salt marshes within the Venice Lagoon (Italy), we installed a network of 57 Trihedral Corner Reflectors (TCRs). The TCRs were monitored by ENVISAT ASAR and TerraSAR-X acquisitions covering the time period from November 2006 to September 2011. The results show that the northern lagoon basin is subsiding at ~3 mm/yr and that the central and southern portions are more stable. Larger subsidence rates, up to 6 mm/yr, are measured where surficial loads, such as artificial salt marshes or embankments, rise above the lagoon bottom. The accuracy of TerraSAR-X is greater than ENVISAT due to the shorter wavelength and higher spatial resolution in relationship to the size of the TCRs. The observations obtained in the Venice Lagoon indicate that SAR interferometry using a large network of artificial reflectors is an effective and powerful methodology to monitor land subsidence in transitional environments where the loss of elevation with respect to the mean sea level can yield significant morphological changes to the natural environment. Key Points Subsidence of natural transitional environments Radar interferometry on artificial corner reflectors Environment deterioration by loss of elevation relative to the mean sea level ©2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.