Global Courant
new York It’s sinking every second; This has been confirmed by a new study. Over the past 20 years, sea levels in Manhattan have risen by 4.4 millimeters per year, and this could have serious socioeconomic impacts in the future.
He study, published in Science Advances by researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Rutgers University’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, argues that there are neighborhoods that would be harder hit than others. Queens would be the hardest hit sector.
“If you’re an average citizen in a coastal city, I think it’s important to understand what the vertical ground motion component does and how it can change susceptibility to flooding even from one neighborhood to another,” said lead author Brett Buzzanga of the study.
“More damage can occur when sea levels are higher and the land is lower at the same time,” he added.
The novelty of the research is tied to the idea of having discovered the region’s differences “in unprecedented detail” and that “some places in New York may be sinking faster than others.”
“This may lead to further flooding in some places,” Buzzanga said, warning: “It will be the same in every city.”
The study found that some sites will decline faster than others. Photo: AFP
Finally, Buzzanga said he and his group will soon use an updated version of their algorithm to make displacement data (with information about land subsidence and elevation) available across North America.
This, according to the expert, will make it possible to provide information about the risk of flooding and improve urban planning. “Every city in the world would benefit from such a refined analysis of city-wide vertical ground motion,” Steven D’Hondt, an oceanography professor at Rhode University, told The Washington Post.
Why is New York sinking?
While land can sink for a variety of reasons, in much of New York City this is primarily due to the retreat of glaciers from the last Ice Age.
The city’s demise is primarily due to the retreat of the Ice Age glaciers. Photo: AFP
As the Post explains, the ice sheets put strain on the land, causing the crust beneath areas like the northeastern United States to expand and sink.
“However, New York City was on the edge of the sunken zone and was bulging upward. As the ice sheets began to retreat, the land began to slowly level and the sagging areas began to rise, while the protruding areas began to sink,” specifies the American media.
Human activities can also contribute to subsidence, as very heavy massive structures are created on sensitive terrain.
Arthur Ashe Stadium, used for the US Open, is located in the highest risk locations. Photo: AFP
LaGuardia Airport and the US Open’s Arthur Ashe Stadium, for example, will “compress much faster than something built on firmer ground.”
Aware of this problem, the tennis stadium was recently renovated with a special lightweight roof to reduce settlement.
LaGuardia Airport would also be affected. Photo: AP
