Academic Journal
Rapid Land Surface Uplift and Groundwater Recovery Observed During the Syrian War.
| Τίτλος: | Rapid Land Surface Uplift and Groundwater Recovery Observed During the Syrian War. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Mhanna, Saeed, Halloran, Landon J. S., Tille, Yves, Asaad, Ahmed Haj, Zwahlen, Francois, Brunner, Philip |
| Πηγή: | Geophysical Research Letters; 4/16/2026, Vol. 53 Issue 7, p1-16, 16p |
| Θεματικοί όροι: | Syrian Civil War, 2011-, Remote sensing, Groundwater remediation, Land subsidence, Radar interferometry, Water supply, Farms |
| Γεωγραφικοί όροι: | Syria |
| Περίληψη: | Recent geopolitical upheaval in Syria is driving regional growth by returning populations, which increases demands on water resources. In northwest Syria, widespread cropland abandonment during the Syrian War starting in 2011 drastically changed the hydrological regime of the region. Here, we show how this situation, which constitutes an uncoordinated, large‐scale "reverse pump test", has resulted in regional groundwater recovery. River discharge has increased, springs have re‐emerged, and regions are now episodically uplifting up to 4 cm/year in wet years. By combining conflict event databases and remote sensing techniques, including Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, we identify a strong correlation between conflict‐induced cropland abandonment and land surface uplift, indicating spatially‐variable groundwater recovery. Conversely, in areas where groundwater abstraction persisted, subsidence has continued unabated. As ground‐based data are nearly non‐existent in war‐afflicted Syria, this remote sensing‐based approach enables a unique assessment of water storage dynamics and reveals the risk of unsustainable groundwater exploitation in the future. Plain Language Summary: The war in Syria damaged much of the country's irrigation systems and forced many farmers to leave their lands, thus considerably decreasing groundwater irrigation. Using satellite data, we found that this sudden drop in water use allowed groundwater levels to recover, causing the land to rise—up to 4 cm/year in wet years. Rivers are flowing stronger, and springs have reappeared. However, in areas where pumping continued, the land is still subsiding. These findings show how conflict can unexpectedly influence water resources and highlight the risk of future overuse once groundwater irrigation resumes. Key Points: War‐driven cropland abandonment in Syria caused a large‐scale "reverse pump test," revealing widespread groundwater recoveryInterferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar shows episodic land uplift up to 4 cm/yr linked to cropland abandonment in wet yearsPersistent pumping areas still subside, warning of future groundwater stress [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Geophysical Research Letters is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | Complementary Index |
| FullText | Links: – Type: other Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: edb DbLabel: Complementary Index An: 192937439 RelevancyScore: 1061 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 1060.76013183594 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Rapid Land Surface Uplift and Groundwater Recovery Observed During the Syrian War. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mhanna%2C+Saeed%22">Mhanna, Saeed</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Halloran%2C+Landon+J%2E+S%2E%22">Halloran, Landon J. S.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tille%2C+Yves%22">Tille, Yves</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Asaad%2C+Ahmed+Haj%22">Asaad, Ahmed Haj</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zwahlen%2C+Francois%22">Zwahlen, Francois</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brunner%2C+Philip%22">Brunner, Philip</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: Geophysical Research Letters; 4/16/2026, Vol. 53 Issue 7, p1-16, 16p – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Syrian+Civil+War%2C+2011-%22">Syrian Civil War, 2011-</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Remote+sensing%22">Remote sensing</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Groundwater+remediation%22">Groundwater remediation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Land+subsidence%22">Land subsidence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Radar+interferometry%22">Radar interferometry</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Water+supply%22">Water supply</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Farms%22">Farms</searchLink> – Name: SubjectGeographic Label: Geographic Terms Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Syria%22">Syria</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Recent geopolitical upheaval in Syria is driving regional growth by returning populations, which increases demands on water resources. In northwest Syria, widespread cropland abandonment during the Syrian War starting in 2011 drastically changed the hydrological regime of the region. Here, we show how this situation, which constitutes an uncoordinated, large‐scale "reverse pump test", has resulted in regional groundwater recovery. River discharge has increased, springs have re‐emerged, and regions are now episodically uplifting up to 4 cm/year in wet years. By combining conflict event databases and remote sensing techniques, including Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, we identify a strong correlation between conflict‐induced cropland abandonment and land surface uplift, indicating spatially‐variable groundwater recovery. Conversely, in areas where groundwater abstraction persisted, subsidence has continued unabated. As ground‐based data are nearly non‐existent in war‐afflicted Syria, this remote sensing‐based approach enables a unique assessment of water storage dynamics and reveals the risk of unsustainable groundwater exploitation in the future. Plain Language Summary: The war in Syria damaged much of the country's irrigation systems and forced many farmers to leave their lands, thus considerably decreasing groundwater irrigation. Using satellite data, we found that this sudden drop in water use allowed groundwater levels to recover, causing the land to rise—up to 4 cm/year in wet years. Rivers are flowing stronger, and springs have reappeared. However, in areas where pumping continued, the land is still subsiding. These findings show how conflict can unexpectedly influence water resources and highlight the risk of future overuse once groundwater irrigation resumes. Key Points: War‐driven cropland abandonment in Syria caused a large‐scale "reverse pump test," revealing widespread groundwater recoveryInterferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar shows episodic land uplift up to 4 cm/yr linked to cropland abandonment in wet yearsPersistent pumping areas still subside, warning of future groundwater stress [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: Abstract Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Geophysical Research Letters is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1029/2025GL120021 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 16 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Syria Type: general – SubjectFull: Syrian Civil War, 2011- Type: general – SubjectFull: Remote sensing Type: general – SubjectFull: Groundwater remediation Type: general – SubjectFull: Land subsidence Type: general – SubjectFull: Radar interferometry Type: general – SubjectFull: Water supply Type: general – SubjectFull: Farms Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Rapid Land Surface Uplift and Groundwater Recovery Observed During the Syrian War. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Mhanna, Saeed – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Halloran, Landon J. S. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Tille, Yves – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Asaad, Ahmed Haj – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Zwahlen, Francois – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Brunner, Philip IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 16 M: 04 Text: 4/16/2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00948276 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 53 – Type: issue Value: 7 Titles: – TitleFull: Geophysical Research Letters Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |