Jakarta –
New York City is rumored to be sinking due to the heavy weight of the buildings above it. A recent study led by Tom Parsons, a research geophysicist at the US Geological Survey, says that tall buildings are contributing to land subsidence in New York City.
This is exacerbated by the fact that New York City is in a region with a rate of sea level rise that is twice as fast as the global average. Not only that, Parsons also estimates that extreme rainfall due to the climate crisis could also accelerate the sinking of New York City.
“We are still quite a long way from possibly ingress of seawater into the city. However, we have had some major storm events, such as hurricanes Sandy and Ida in New York, where heavy rainfall caused flooding in the city, and some impacts from urbanization allowed water to enter.” said Parsons, quoted from CNN, Thursday (17/8/2023).
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The paper, published in the journal Earth’s Future, aims to show how high-rise buildings on coastal, riverside, or lakefront areas may contribute to future flood risks and that steps should be taken to mitigate these potentially harmful impacts.
Factors Causing Land Subsidence
The researchers calculated the masses of 1,084,954 buildings in five boroughs of New York City at that time. As a result, the total mass of these buildings reached around 762 billion kilograms, or the equivalent of around 1.9 million Boeing 747-400 aircraft.
The research team then used simulations to calculate the effect of these weights on the ground, then compared them with satellite data showing the true surface geology. The analysis shows that the land surface in the city will decrease by about 1-2 millimeters per year. In fact, some areas will experience even greater subsidence of up to about 4.5 millimeters per year.
Another study conducted in September 2022 showed that 44 of the world’s 48 most populous coastal cities are experiencing land subsidence faster than sea level rising. The study’s new approach was to take into account specifically the weight of buildings in New York City and how they contribute to subsidence.
However, not all subsidence is caused by the weight of buildings. Other factors can be caused by very soft soil construction and artificial embankments, as well as the post-glacial relaxation that occurred after the last ice age.
Efforts to Reduce the Risk of Sinking the City
According to this study, the threat of sinking New York City is more likely to be caused by land subsidence than sea level rise. According to Parsons, this event has become a global threat.
“My research colleagues from the University of Rhode Island studied 99 cities around the world, not only on the coast but also inland. Most of these cities are at risk of subsidence,” Parsons explained.
“We know that global sea levels are rising and coastlines are changing. In addition, it is critical to understand the impact human activities, such as greenhouse gas emissions, are having on our warming world,” said Sophie Coulson, a postdoctoral researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory. .
The study conducted by Parsons and the team looks at the impact of human activities as an important factor causing land subsidence on the coast.
Using a clever combination of computer modeling, satellite measurements and GPS data, the researchers estimated short-term and long-term subsidence rates in different areas of the city, and identified the areas most at risk.
“New York City is one of the most densely populated coastal areas in the world, with most of the critical infrastructure built on low-lying coastal areas. Understanding how and why landscapes change, as well as identifying the areas most vulnerable to flooding are critical to making appropriate preparations for mitigating future sea level rise.” explained Parsons.
Watch Video “New York City Predicted to Sink Because It’s Too Heavy”
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2023-08-17 03:41:45
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