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USGS · 70155948

Coastal subsidence and relative sea level rise

Steven E. Ingebritsen·Devin L. Galloway
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Abstract

Subsurface fluid-pressure declines caused by pumping of groundwater or hydrocarbons can lead to aquifer-system compaction and consequent land subsidence. This subsidence can be rapid, as much as 30 cm per year in some instances, and large, totaling more than 13 m in extreme examples. Thus anthropogenic subsidence may be the dominant contributor to relative sea-level rise in coastal environments where subsurface fluids are heavily exploited. Maximum observed rates of human-induced subsidence greatly exceed the rates of natural subsidence of unconsolidated sediments (~0.1–1 cm yr −1 ) and the estimated rates of ongoing global sea-level rise (~0.3 cm yr −1 ).

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Steven E. Ingebritsen, Devin L. Galloway. 2014-09-23. Coastal subsidence and relative sea level rise. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326%2F9%2F9%2F091002

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