New York City is Sinking Under its Own Weight
Are you concerned about sinking cities?
What's the story?
- A new study in the Earth's Future journal found that New York City is sinking under the weight of its buildings, with climate change and sea level rise contributing to the process.
What's happening?
- The study found that the mass of the 1,084,954 buildings across NYC's five boroughs is 1.68 trillion pounds. This is equivalent to approximately 1.9 million fully loaded Boeing 747-400s.
- Geological and satellite data aided the researchers in their key discovery, leading to the belief that the city is sinking at a rate of about 1 to 2 millimeters a year. More developed areas, like lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, are sinking at a rate of 4½ millimeters a year.
- The sinking can be attributed to various causes, not merely the weight of the buildings. Tom Parsons of the U.S. Geological Survey, and one of the lead authors of the study, said:
"We could see some correspondence where there's construction on very soft soils and artificial fill. And there's a lot of different causes of it, such as post glacial relaxation that happened after the last ice age, or groundwater pumping."
"This research takes a look at an important human factor that has only recently come into focus — the effect of urban building loads on coastal land subsidence."
A global problem
- As of 2020, scientists estimated that all the things humans have ever made weigh more than every living thing on Earth.
- A 2022 study found that 44 of the 48 most populous coastal cities around the world contain areas that are sinking faster than sea levels are rising.
- Parsons said, "it's a global issue," and pointed to research that shows 99 cities around the world being impacted, such as Venice, Mexico City, and Jakarta. Jakarta is sinking so quickly that the government is considering relocating the capital.
The climate change connection
- Worldwide, the projected sea level rise is between 200–600 millimeters by 2050. Sea level rise in NYC is occurring twice as fast as the global rate, and scientists have projected that it could rise between eight and 30 inches by 2050.
- New York City is ranked third in the world regarding exposure to flooding damage, and 90% of the 67,400 structures in the flood-risk areas were not built to floodplain standards.
- Climate change will also lead to more frequent and extreme rainfall and flooding events in the region. More specifically, the paper states that greenhouse gas appears to be reducing the natural wind barrier along the east coast, creating higher-intensity hurricanes.
- Parsons said:
"We're a ways off from the ocean simply moving in. But we've had a couple of major hurricane events with Sandy and Ida in New York where heavy rainfall caused inundation in the city, and some of the effects of urbanization have allowed water to come in."
- The paper ultimately points to the complex web of factors at play:
"[E]very additional high-rise building constructed at coastal, river, or lakefront settings could contribute to future flood risk."
Are you worried about sinking cities?
—Emma Kansiz
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Yes, I am highly concerned about overbuilding in our coastal cities causing sinking and the oceans to rise due to climate chaos.
I would like to think that the residents, commercial interests, as well as aspiring politicians and officeholders are concerned. But I know that not enough people are even aware of the problem.
We need leaders in every sector to speak out about this. More importantly we need the affected cities to make plans to deal with the inevitable problems.
Most importantly, we need the respective city governments to stop giving building permits in the areas known to be vulnerable.
Given the rates of sinking and oceans rising, procrastination is not an option.
NYC like 44 of 48 of the most populous coastal cities is sinking under the weight of their infrastructure and urbanization, as sea levels rise due earth's rising temperatures meltin glaciers and polar ie caps.
"2022 study found that 44 of the 48 most populous coastal cities have areas that are sinking faster than sea levels are rising"
"Like Jakarta...Vietnam’s economic hub Ho Chi Minh City, Myanmar’s Yangon, Bangladesh’s port city of Chittagong, China’s Tianjin, and the Indian city of Ahmedabad are among the cities most steadily subsiding under the weight of their populations and the effect of urbanisation...with rising sea levels."
https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2022/11/9/hldwhyindonesia-is-abandoning-its-capital-jakarta-to-save-ithld
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/indonesias-giant-capital-city-is-sinking-can-the-governments-plan-save-it
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-00947-z.epdf
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-022-00947-z
NYC is not the only area of concern. Since this country has not yet sought to truly remedy the climate problem, our oceans will continue to rise as the ice melts in the polar regions. The warming of the oceans also plays havok with the arctic jet stream, affecting the weather. Every coastal city will loose a lot of land to the rising oceans, and many islands will be in danger as well. We forget that the earth sustains ALL life, not just human life, yet the humans want immediate gratification and power, and just keep taking from Earth's resources. Everything on this Earth is finite, and apparently we'll keep taking until nothing is left! How many times in 2022 alone have the vast growing areas of this country been hit with devatating weather, and how will this affect the food items produced? Is there a famine in our future because we have mismanaged the Earth? So I ask, "When will we ever learn, When will we learn?"
I have know more about the phenomenon!!
This is not new. For years they were talking about this. Not only NYC, but many coastal cities. Florida is also on this list.
Yes, I'm concerned. Even though I don't live in a big metro and don't ever plan to, I am concerned about the impact this would have on the people who do and the busineses that operate in those areas.
Since I live 5,280 feet above sea level, my only concern is for the well being of those who choose to live where they do. From my perspective, the Yellowstone Caldera is more of a danger to me which will create poor air quality and volcanic ash deeper than any blizzard would bring. Those of "middle income" or less might as well cut our losses and enjoy what ever we can within our means. The life we live and how well we live it is far more important than how much we are worth on paper and our posessions. The greedy, egotistical, power mad control freaks will suffer a hell of a lot more than the rest of us. The so-called "lower" classes are survivors where as those who are the wealthiest among us wouldn't last for very long since they rely on conning others to do their dirty work to survive. We all must learn to accept life within our means and maintain the balance of nature so we can leave this planet a better place for our desendents. Every politician that votes to harm those less fortunate must be removed from office ASAP. I am sick and tired of receiving messages filled with half truths and insinuations from my own senators and lone Representative. Even my own governor and state legislature haven't got a compassionate understanding of the needs of those less fortunate. I only hope to live long enough to see Karma bite them all in the arse. Sadly, they will suffer but at least justice will be served and not dished out by the SCOTUS but the Universe.
I'm concerned for NYC, but also for Miami, New Orleans, and all the smaller towns that are also in delicate coastal areas as sea levels are rising and the glaciers are melting.
We need as a country to have a plan for supporting these towns with efforts to protect themselves, and for handling any displaced people who need to be moved elsewhere when we have a nationwide housing shortage.
I hope our leaders step it up and start planning better than they have been so far. Time is running out, but we can save these cities.
As long as the corporate elite own lawmakers nothing will change.
Maybe that ocean front property I bought in Arizona will finally pay off./
This is another reason why we need to take stronger steps against climate change.
Oil and fossil fuel corporations own our government, so I'm not optimistic.
and when cities in other nations disapear, or become inhabitable, republicans will only double down on xenophobic lies about rapists and drug dealers as people desperatly try to migrate.
Who would not be concerned?
Of course!
I live in one and so I definitely care.
Seriously people.... what are you concerned about, drowning?