New York City is sinking in part due to the extraordinary weight of its vertiginous buildings, worsening the flooding threat posed to the metropolis from the rising seas, new research has found.
Researchers have revealed that the Big Apple subsides by around 1-2mm per year, with certain areas plunging at twice this rate.
The sinking of New York City is compounding the effects of accelerated sea level rise, which is currently occurring at approximately twice the global average. This rapid rise in sea levels is a result of the melting of glaciers worldwide and the expansion of seawater due to global warming.
Over the years, the water surrounding New York City has already risen by approximately 9 inches (22cm) since 1950. As a consequence of the combined impact of sea level rise and hurricanes intensified by climate change, major flooding events caused by storms could become up to four times more frequent by the end of the century.
"A deeply concentrated population of 8.4 million people faces varying degrees of hazard from inundation in New York City," researchers wrote, in the new study published in the Earth's Future journal.
The researchers also emphasized that the risks faced by New York City are not unique and that numerous other coastal cities worldwide will confront similar challenges as the climate crisis worsens.
"The combination of tectonic and anthropogenic subsidence, sea level rise, and increasing hurricane intensity imply an accelerating problem along coastal and riverfront areas," they said.
The magnitude of this phenomenon is amplified by the substantial mass of New York City's built infrastructure.
The researchers conducted calculations and determined that the combined weight of the city's structures, including iconic landmarks like the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building, amounts to approximately 1.68 trillion pounds. To put this into perspective, it is comparable to the weight of around 140 million elephants.
Tom Parsons, the geophysicist leading the recent research at the US Geological Survey, reassured that there is no immediate cause for panic.
However, he emphasized the ongoing process of sinking in New York City, which progressively heightens the vulnerability to flooding. The statement serves as a reminder of the long-term implications and the need for proactive measures to address the increasing risk.
