Last Update: 04/05/2026 at 2:50 PM EST
War Abandonment Lifts Syria Land
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Executive Summary
Farmland abandonment in northwest Syria cut irrigation pumping, letting aquifers recover and lifting land surface while springs and river flow returned.
- Conflict displaced farmers and left irrigated fields uncultivated in northwest Syria
- Reduced pumping allowed groundwater levels to rebound after years of depletion
- InSAR satellite data detected land uplift of up to 4 centimeters per year
- NDVI and precipitation data helped separate irrigation effects from rain and vegetation
- Strongest uplift occurred over older limestone aquifers on abandoned cropland
- Some long-dry springs reappeared and river flows increased where pumping stopped
- Continued irrigation areas showed subsidence instead of recovery
Quick Facts
- What: Farmland abandonment reduced pumping and lifted the land surface
- Where: Northwest Syria across abandoned and irrigated croplands
- Why: Less irrigation allowed aquifers to refill and surface to rise
- Who: Researchers studying groundwater and land movement in northwest Syria
- When: After the Syrian civil war began in 2011
Featured Article
Using InSAR, researchers report northwest Syria land uplift up to 4 centimeters per year as conflict reduced irrigation pumping and allowed groundwater reserves to recover.
Additional Articles
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Geophysical Research Letters researchers report that war-era farmland abandonment in northwest Syria reduced groundwater pumping, enabling aquifer recovery and uplift up to 4 centimeters per year.
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Satellite InSAR and NDVI analysis shows irrigation abandonment in northwest Syria after 2011 conflict enabled groundwater recovery and up to 4 cm per year uplift.