Spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of land subsidence caused by groundwater depletion in the North China plain during the past six decades

•Precise leveling data since 1952 are processed using joint dynamic adjustment method.•Land subsidence evolution pattern of the North China Plain are presented.•Subsidence in North China Plain has become gradually worse in the past six decades.•Subsidence in the Haihe River Plain is mainly caused by the groundwater depletion. Land subsidence due to groundwater depletion significantly obstructs regional economic and social development, and long-term high-precision monitoring of land subsidence is the prerequisite for solving this problem. Based on precise leveling data covering ~50,000 km since 1952 in the North China Plain (NCP), this study investigated dynamic patterns of land subsidence over three periods—1960–1980s, 1980–1990s, and 1990–2010s—with unprecedented spatial extent and accuracy. The main results were as follows. (1) The extent of the NCP subsidence gradually expanded. In 1960–1980s, subsidence regions mainly located at central and coastal plain, covering ~6,200 km2 with subsidence rates > 20 mm/yr. Over time, the subsidence region gradually expanded westward to the eastern foot of the Taihang Mountains, northward to the south foot of the Yanshan Mountains, and southward to the Shandong Hills. Areas with subsidence rates > 20 mm/yr increased to ~22,800 km2 and ~41,800 km2, respectively, in 1980–1990s and 1990–2010s. (2) The subsidence rate significantly accelerated. Statistics for points with settlement rates > 5 mm/yr showed that the average values in the three periods were 12.2, 17.3, and 26.5 mm/yr, respectively. The subsidence zone covered by the profile line from Dingzhou to Cangzhou showed the most prominent acceleration, and the average settlement rates in the three periods were 16.4, 29.6, and 55.3 mm/yr, respectively. (3) Subsidence in Tianjin was mitigating gradually with rate slowing from 58.2 mm/yr in 1960–1980s to 33.6 mm/yr in 1990–2010s, primarily by limiting groundwater exploitation. (4) By comparing with the variation of groundwater level, we infer that groundwater depletion is mainly responsible for the land subsidence of the NCP. Nowadays, the problem of land subsidence is still very serious in the NCP, requiring further control measures.