A new work using artificial satellite datum has discover that New York City is sinking at a relatively degraded rate , with some urban areas subside much quicker than others . According to the team , one contributing factor is the sheer weightiness of the metropolis ’s eminent - ascension building .
The team , lead by US Geological Survey research geophysicist Tom Parsons , looked at subsidence good example , surface geology , and the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar and Global Positioning System ( planet information ) .
" Geodetic measurements show a hateful subsidence rate of 1–2 mm / twelvemonth across the city that is consistent with regional post - glacial deformation , though we find some areas of importantly greater cave in rate , " the team explained in their study .
Part of the problem is urbanization itself .
" Cumulative pressure applied to the undercoat from large buildings contributes to subsidence not only from initial primary settlement cause by soil compression and reduction of null space , but also through potential secondary colonization due to crawling in clay rich layers that can keep indefinitely , " the team explain .
The team calculated the entire mass of the buildings in New York at 764,000,000,000 kilograms ( 1.68 trillion pounds ) , exerting air pressure on the ground below . The geology of New York is complex , with a range of soils . The squad writes that buildings on remains - rich grease and hokey fill " are specially prone to significant building settlement and stiff models show the big likely remittal , ranging from −75 to −600 mm with a median of −294 mm at a sample point in lower Manhattan " .
Other factors conduce to subsidence included hurricanes Sandy and Ida , and the team warned that repeat photo of building foundations to seawater – from hurricanes or rising ocean level – can cause structural weakening , rust the steal and weakening the concrete . These problem will only be exacerbated by the climate crisis and increase urbanisation .
" Major cities around the world are expected to get disproportionately relative to rural region , with a figure 70 percent of the world ’s universe live in cities by 2050 , " the team resolve . Major cities on every continent except Antarctica are observe to be subsiding , and the military issue may be worsened as populations produce .
" Increasing urbanisation will likely exacerbate subsidence by groundwater descent and/or construction density , which combined with accelerating ocean level acclivity connote a growing flood luck in coastal city . As these trend continue it will be important to be aware of accompanying extenuation strategies against deluge in produce coastal city . "
The study was published in the journalEarth ’s Future .
