Potential use of Subsidence Rates Determined From GPS-Based Height
Modernization Measurements of NGS Benchmarks in Southeast Texas for
Flood Risk Planning
Abstract
This study determines the rates of subsidence or uplift in coastal areas
of SE Texas by comparing recent GNSS measurements to the original
orthometric heights of 340 previously installed National Geodetic Survey
(NGS) benchmarks. Understanding subsidence rates in coastal areas of SE
Texas is critical when determining its vulnerability to local sea level
rise and flooding, as well as for accurate elevation control for flood
risk maps. The study area includes major metropolitan and industrial
areas as well as more rural areas at risk for flooding and hurricane
storm surge. The resurveying methods used in this RTK GNSS study allow a
large area to be covered relatively quickly with enough detail to
determine subsidence rates that are averaged over several decades, and
identify at-risk regions that can be monitored more closely with
permanent or campaign-style measurements. Overall, vertical rates vary
from -6 to -15 mm/yr subsidence in Port Arthur, Nederland, and other
areas of Jefferson County, as well as in areas northwest of Beaumont,
Texas. Other areas with subsidence rates between -10 and -4 mm/yr
include parts of the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County, northeastern
Chambers County, and the Mont Belvieu area just east of Houston. Current
benchmark elevations were as much as -0.86 m lower than the original,
illustrating the need for height modernization surveys in the area.
Surprisingly, areas of uplift, with rates as great as +5 mm/yr, were
found in some parts of the study area. Several of the counties in the
study area are experiencing inundation and erosion from global sea level
rise, with local subsidence exacerbating the problem. Many of the
counties in the study area were also affected by the storm surge from
Hurricane Ike and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Understanding the
current elevation in these areas, as well as the rates of change in
elevation, is critical for creating updated flood plain maps and surge
inundation models, as well as planning how these maps and models will
likely change in the future. Understanding how rapidly the elevations
are changing is also critical for planning and maintaining flood and
surge protection infrastructure projects such as levees, dune
restoration, marsh restoration, and raising of structures to prevent
flooding well into the future.