New York is sinking under the weight of its towering skyscrapers. And it is that, according to a new study published in the journal Earth’s Future, the city sinks on average between 1 and 2 millimeters per year. According to the scientific community, this causes the sea level rise to accelerate progressively due to climate change. Undoubtedly, this phenomenon is a danger to New Yorkers. In fact, this new study shows that, in some parts of the city, subsidence occurs on average up to 4 millimeters per year.
Another fact that attracts attention is that the water around the city has already risen by more than 20 centimeters since the 1950s. As if that weren’t enough, scientists believe that in the face of major storms, flooding can be up to four times higher. Tornadoes and storms may also become more common. “The dense population of more than 8 million people faces increased risks of flooding,” the new report said.
Several North American media outlets, such as The New York Post, report that, according to geologists, the rate of sea level rise in New York is double the world average. And that is that the weight of skyscrapers adds to the melting of the main glaciers and the expansion of sea water due to global warming. Notably, the city has over 6,000 skyscrapers. At this point, it is worth mentioning that scientists from the United States Geological Survey and the University of Rhode Island have calculated that the cumulative weight of all the buildings is approximately equal to 764,000,000,000 kg. All these monstrous buildings are buried on the ground. A clay, which in some areas is composed of clay and clay, which makes it even easier to sink.
New York isn’t the only city threatened by rising sea levels
New York is not the only city that could suffer the devastating effects of rising sea levels. As the authors of the research paper point out, this risk may extend to other coastal cities in the United States. They explain, “The combination of tectonic and anthropogenic subsidence, sea level rise and increased storm intensity is a growing problem in coastal areas.”
Finally, Tom Parsons, geophysicist and director of the investigation, assures that “it’s not about panicking immediately, but about this ongoing process that increases flood risk.” “The softer the soil, the more buildings compress it. This should be taken into account every time a new construction is built,” he concluded.
