The Sinking Skyscrapers of New York City: A Warning for the Future

NY It is a city that stands out, among many reasons, for its iconic skyscraper, hallmark of its landscape. However, this could change in a few years as a new study revealed that the area sinks rapidly precisely because of its heavy buildings, a total of 1,084,954. Although the annual drop is minimal, in the future it could be a big problem, because it makes the Big Apple more vulnerable to natural disasters.

He study led by Tom Parsons of the US Geological Survey and other experts, who warned that as The more high-rise buildings are built in coastal, river or lake environments, the more serious the situation will be: “The combination of the densification of construction and the rise in sea level imply an increase in the danger of flooding,” the document describes in its conclusions.

Apparently, the metropolis is sinking at a rate of one or two millimeters per year: “Projected sea level rise poses a clear threat to coastal cities, with an expected rise of 20 to 60 centimeters by 2050 worldwide.” In the case of New York, this is three or four times more than in the rest of the planet.

Generally speaking, that means that in the future the city could be impacted by more frequent high intensity hurricanes (because the sea will be closer). In turn, there are areas that are more at risk than others due to different factors, such as the material with which their skyscrapers are made, the sea level and the drainage structure. According to the study, they are Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn y Queens. “The combination of tectonic and anthropogenic subsidence, sea level rise, and increased hurricane intensity imply an accelerating problem along coastal and riverine areas. Repeated exposure of building foundations to salt water could corrode reinforcing steel and chemically weaken concrete, leading to structural weakening.”

According to specialists, if the arrival of stronger hurricanes was already a high probability after Sandy, in 2012, today this is a fact, because the collapse would add that “90% of the 67,400 structures in the areas Post-hurricane flood hazard extensions have not been built to floodplain standards.” Consequently, New York ranks third in the world in terms of future assets exposed to coastal flooding.

On the other hand, population growth could also be an important factor: “Increased urbanization is likely to exacerbate subsidence from groundwater extraction and/or building density, which, combined with accelerating sea level rise, implies increasing flood hazard in cities coastal”. Both Parsons and his team of experts urged swift action and consideration flood mitigation strategies in coastal cities, Not just in New York, but all over the world.

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