Sea-Level Geophysics

Along the Gulf Coast, relative sea level change is also affected by subsidence connected to fluid extraction and glacial isostatic adjustment. As part of local fieldwork, we combine multi-mission InSAR and GNSS observations to map contemporary land motion at neighborhood scales, and use Bayesian poromechanical models to project subsidence under scenarios of recharge, pumping, and extraction. These modeling and remote observations complement a growing network of GNSS interferometric reflectometry tide-gauge stations our group is maintaining in southeastern Texas. Together, these data and models can be used to represent regional processes contributing to vertical land motion (VLM) in probabilistic frameworks like FACTS. Our group also works closely with CFAR and SPEED to incorporate our observations and simulations in community vulnerability metrics that inform planning.