New York is (slowly) sinking under the weight of its own skyscrapers: “Possible risk of flooding” – time.news

2023-05-19 23:20:33

Of Alessandro Vinci

A research conducted by the University of Rhode Island has quantified the average subsidence rate of the Big Apple in 1-2 millimeters per year

New York like Venice: one of the most fascinating cities in the world, but it is progressively collapsing under the weight of its own buildings. To sound the alarm, on Monday 8 May, one studio published in the magazine Earth’s Future by a team of experts from the University of Rhode Island led by geologist Tom Parsons. Every new high-rise built in coastal, river or lakefront areas could contribute to future flood riskreads the document.

Gi of 1-2 millimeters per year

The research was divided into two main phases. At first the authors quantified in approx 764 million tons the combined weight of the Big Apple’s buildings (over a million in all), then they divided the city into one grid of squares of 100 meters per side converting the mass of the aforementioned buildings into a downward pressure determined by the force of gravity. The result was a virtual model on the basis of which il subsidence rate (i.e. soil subsidence) average of the municipal area, result included between one and two millimeters per year (that of Venice, on the other hand, exceeds three).

Three key elements

At first glance, the figure may not impress. However, at least three elements must be taken into account. The first: since the researchers did not consider the weight of roads, sidewalks, bridges and railways, the estimate in all likelihood downwards. The second: it is a average value, as soils rich in clayey sediments and artificial fillings – such as those of Lower Manhattan – are more subject to sinking than predominantly rocky ones. The third: being New York a coastal city, the combination of subsidence and rising seas due to global warming in the long run it risks making it increasingly vulnerable to high tideswith the danger that some of its areas end up under water.

Global problem

For the record, it should be noted that in the world there are those who are faring much worse off. the case of Jakarta, which is sinking at an average of 7.5 centimeters a year and in view of whose disappearance Indonesia has recently started the construction of its future capital in Borneo. Other large cities affected by the phenomenon are also Shanghai, Manila, Karachi, Ho Chi Minh and, remaining in the United States, Houston e New Orleans. New York is the emblem of the growing coastal cities that are subsiding around the world – concluded Parsons and colleagues -, which means that there is a shared global challenge mitigation against an increasing risk of flooding.

May 19, 2023 (change May 19, 2023 | 23:20)

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