New York - the most populous city in the United States - is sinking under the weight of its own construction and many other factors, according to CNN.
A team of scientists from the US Geological Survey (USGS) of the Department of the Interior calculated that the nearly 1.1 million buildings in New York City’s five boroughs weigh a combined 762 million tons, or about the same as 1.9 million Boeing 747-400 airliners. They then used simulation software to calculate the effect of this weight on the ground, comparing it with geological data measured by satellite systems. The final analysis yielded the rate at which the city was sinking.
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A corner of New York City, USA. Photo: USA Today |
“The average sinking rate is about 1-2 millimeters per year, with some parts of the city recording rates of about 4.5 millimeters per year,” USGS geophysicist Tom Parsons told CNN. New York’s case can be compared to Venice, Italy, which has a similar average sinking rate.
The team found a link between subsidence in some areas of New York, where buildings sit on soft ground or artificial alluvium. However, the weight of the buildings is not the only reason for subsidence. The team said there are other causes for the problem, such as land expansion after the ice age or the effects of groundwater pumping from beneath the city.
New York’s sinking is compounded by rising sea levels, which are rising twice as fast as the global rate. Experts predict that sea levels around the city will rise between 20cm and nearly 80cm by 2050, according to CNN.
Khanh Ngan
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