According to a new study, several areas of New York appear to be declining by one to two millimeters per year.
Recent research published in the journal Earth's Future suggests that parts of New York City, including Brooklyn, Queens, and Lower Manhattan, appear to be lowering due to a geological process called subsidence, in which sediments migrate and settle.
New York City is Sinking Under Weight of Skyscrapers
In the study, researchers, including Tom Parsons from the US Geological Survey(USGS), approximated the contribution to subsidence from the pressure exerted by New York City's constructed environment, home to 8.8 million people.
The prediction was based on geological conditions and the weight of over one million buildings in New York City. The study also revealed that it was impossible to determine the precise foundation conditions for each building, according to The Independent.
The study also warned of a rising risk of flooding in the densely populated metropolis. Previous research has demonstrated that the rapid rise in global sea levels due to global warming will pose significant inundation hazards to coastal cities.
Global sea levels could rise between 200 and 600 millimeters by 2050. Scientists have also discovered that people living in cities around the globe that are sinking will experience sea level rise four times faster than those in more stable regions.
Climate experts fear Lower Manhattan will be underwater in less than 80 years. Manhattan will be more susceptible to natural disasters as a result, as per NY Post.
According to geophysicist Klaus Jacob, an emeritus professor at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, these two factors and rising sea levels could render New York City's coastal regions unrecognizable by the turn of the century.
Jacob has a nonconformist plan for managing what might occur at the turn of the century. He desires to transform lower Manhattan into a contemporary version of Venice and accepts that its thoroughfares will be transformed into canals where people can live and work.
Experts Urge Action to Prevent Catastrophic Event
While the days of catastrophic inundation may seem a lifetime away, Jacob emphasizes that the threat must be taken more seriously and that preparations must begin immediately. Lower Manhattan is not the only high-risk region in the tri-state area.
There have already been indications that the worst is yet to come over the past decade. In the most recent report, Hurricane Sandy's devastation and Hurricane Ida's devastating and catastrophic inundation in New York City in 2021 were cited as additional causes for concern.
Stronger and higher storm surges are likely, increasing the city's risk and decreasing its protection level. The Army Corps of Engineers proposes spending $52 billion on constructing coastal seawalls to mitigate the impending disaster. But Jacob is concerned that the "piecemeal" approach does not address the larger issues.
The most recent study indicates that the city is already declining by 1-2 mm annually. Despite the threat, the authors assert that the response has been inadequate.
Experts stated that 90% of buildings constructed in areas at risk of inundation after Hurricane Sandy were not constructed to the requisite standard. Fears of inundation along the East Coast of the United States have intensified. In 2014, scientists warned that more than fifty cities were in danger.
Per Telegraph, Boston city planners have already proposed that canals may need to be constructed in the upscale Back Bay neighborhood to safeguard the city. Miami Beach has begun renovating its stormwater system to prevent seawater from backing into its pipelines. Some of Norfolk's coastal parks have also been transformed into wetland ecosystems.