According to a study, New York City sinks roughly 1-2 millimeters every year due to the weight of its skyscrapers, putting its nearly 8 million residents at risk of coastal flooding as the sea level rises.
The study indicated that the city faces growing inundation danger due to natural and anthropogenic sea level rise, subsidence, and increasing storm severity.
Satellite studies by US Geological Survey researchers revealed an average subsidence rate of 1-2 mm/year in New York City. Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and northern Staten Island, on the other hand, were seen to be sinking at a far higher rate of 2.75mm per year.
Furthermore, the researchers discovered that places with clay-rich soil are more prone to experience subsidence “due to the material softness and ability to flow under pressure.”
According to the report, large cities throughout the world are likely to develop disproportionately in comparison to rural areas, with cities expected to house 70% of the world’s population by 2050.
Except for Antarctica, major cities are subsiding on every continent, and the problem may intensify as people grow.
“Every additional high-rise building constructed in coastal, river, or lakefront settings could contribute to future flood risk,” the researchers warned, emphasizing the importance of expanding mitigating techniques.
