A Historical Review of the Land Subsidence Phenomena Interaction with Flooding, Land Use Changes, and Storms at the East Thessaly Basin—Insights from InSAR Data

Nikolaos Antoniadis and Constantinos Loupasakis ()
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Nikolaos Antoniadis: School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Department of Geological Sciences, Zografou Campus, National Technical University of Athens, GR-157 80 Athens, Greece
Constantinos Loupasakis: School of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Department of Geological Sciences, Zografou Campus, National Technical University of Athens, GR-157 80 Athens, Greece

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-44

Abstract: The Thessaly Plain, Greece’s largest alluvial basin, has undergone significant geological, hydrological, and anthropogenic transformations. This study synthesises historical records, geological and hydrogeological studies to assess the evolution of the East Thessaly Plain, focusing on land use changes, groundwater management, and environmental challenges. Intensive agricultural practices, particularly from the 1970s onward, have led to groundwater overexploitation, land subsidence, and declining water quality. The overexploitation of the aquifers, exacerbated by extensive irrigation and inefficient water management, has resulted in critical groundwater shortages and widespread subsidence, particularly in the Larissa–Karla and Titarisios Cone systems. Additionally, recent extreme weather events, including Medicane Daniel (2023) and Medicane Ianos (2020), have highlighted the region’s vulnerability to hydrological hazards, with extensive flooding affecting urban and agricultural areas. The re-emergence of Lake Karla as a flood retention area underscores the unintended consequences of past drainage efforts. Remote sensing, geodetic surveys, and historical records have been examined to assess the interplay between groundwater withdrawals, land subsidence, and flood risks.

Keywords: Thessaly Plain; east Thessaly; land use; groundwater overexploitation; land subsidence; flooding; climate change; Lake Karla (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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