Study claims New York City is sinking under the weight of its buildings – DNyuz

Study claims New York City is sinking under the weight of its buildings

A new study claims that New York City is sinking, increasing the risk of flooding in the city. The study was published this month in the journal Earth’s Future, and it suggests that some areas are sinking far faster than average, descending at an average rate of between one to two millimeters per year.

This is called subsidence. As the city sinks, flooding risks will increase, particularly as sea level continues to rise . “A deeply concentrated population of 8. 4 million people faces varying degrees of hazard from inundation in New York City,” the study warns.

It might sound scary to think of New York City sinking, but it really shouldn’t be much of a surprise, as the city is estimated to weigh a cumulative of 1. 68 trillion pounds, according to a report from The Times of Israel. It’s also important to note that the researchers only calculated the weight of the buildings and their contents. The researchers did not include the weights for roads, bridges and subways.

New York City’s sinking is due to the fact that it is built mostly on clay and softer soil. Most of New York City is built over water. The densely populated central Manhattan region, which occupies a small island in the middle, has been constructed on the surface. The island’s majority is built over water and a sinking of this kind could lead to further flooding and put people and structures in danger.

The researchers say they determined how much New York City is sinking by measuring the weight of the city’s buildings and then modeling how much downward pressure they exert. The researchers found that the majority of skyscrapers, which are constructed on bedrock unlike other buildings, exerted the greatest downward pressure.

The local tectonic plate can shift naturally and lead to more sinking. Researchers will definitely be keeping an eye on this as the sea level rises. The study points out that this is especially so because the Atlantic Coast will see sea levels rise three or four times faster than average.

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