On October 31, 2025, at 10.00 a.m, at Lecture Hall V:A, building V, Klas Anshelms väg 14, Lund, Behshid Khodaei will defend her PhD thesis titled, From Deformation to Hydrology: A Comparative Evaluation of InSAR and Modelling Techniques for Assessing Water Availability in Varied Hydrological Systems at the Faculty of Engineering.
Water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource as climate change, population growth, and human activity put pressure on global supplies. A new doctoral dissertation from Lund University shows how satellite-based radar technology, known as Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), can be used to monitor changes in groundwater and land deformation with unprecedented precision.
By interpreting tiny ground movements—sometimes only a few millimetres—researchers can identify where aquifers are being depleted and even estimate how much water the subsurface can store. When combined with machine learning, these methods make it possible to map and predict groundwater loss in regions where conventional measurements are limited.
The study also demonstrates how changes in rivers and wetlands affect groundwater and ecosystems. In peatlands, for example, InSAR can track small seasonal “breathing” movements linked to water-table shifts and carbon release, offering new insights for climate and environmental monitoring.
Together, these findings show how integrating satellite data with modelling and AI can transform how we understand and manage the world’s hidden water resources.
The thesis is available to read and download here.