“New York Sinking: Alarming Survey Reveals Skyscraper Threat to City”

A new survey shows alarming findings about New York.

The big city of New York is sinking one to two millimeters a year. The situation is considerably worse in certain parts of the city such as Brooklyn, Queens and lower Manhattan. The latter is decreasing by 2.94 millimeters a year.

That is the grim conclusion of a new research study. They are scientists from the American Earthquake Center USGSUSGSThe United States Geological Survey is responsible for monitoring, reporting and investigating earthquakes and natural hazards. and the University of Rhode Island, which is behind the study.

The reason is the many, heavy skyscrapers that characterize the cityscape, and global warming.

140 million elephants

It is now over one million buildings in New York. The Empire State Building and Chrysler Building alone weigh about the same as 140 million elephants.

The enormous weight pushes the material into the ground and speeds up the process. That’s according to geophysicist Tom Parsons, who is one of the researchers behind the study.

– The softer the soil, the more compression there is from the buildings. It was not wrong to build such large buildings in New York, but we must have thought that every time you build something, the ground is pushed down a little more, he says to The Guardian.

The risk of flooding is increasing

The development does not lead to any immediate danger, the researchers believe. But the danger of flooding and sea level rise is increasing. Eight million people live in New York.

The city has been affected by several floods in recent years. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit with full force, causing flooding in the city’s subway stations.

In 2021 it happened again. Then Hurricane Ida hit the US east coast. 26 people died. It led to widespread power outages and thousands of destroyed buildings.

Scientists believe that several coastal cities around the world may suffer the same fate as New York.

– New York and other coastal cities must plan for this. Flooding kills people, and that is the biggest concern, Parsons adds The Guardian.