NYC is sinking below the load of over one million buildings — all clocking in at a whopping 1.7 trillion kilos complete — new geological analysis warns.
The metropolis is dropping nearer to the water at 1 to 2 millimeters per yr, “with some areas subsiding much faster.”
NYC And Its One Million-Plus Buildings Sinking City, Manhattan Most At Risk
Lead researcher and geologist Tom Parsons of the United States Geological Survey says the gradual descent makes the Big Apple extraordinarily weak to pure disasters.
Lower Manhattan is especially prone to slipping under the water line. There are considerations for Queens and Brooklyn, too, the research states.
Ultimately, 8.4 million individuals are prone to “varying degrees of hazard.”
“New York faces significant challenges from flood hazard. The threat of sea level rise is 3 to 4 times higher than the global average along the Atlantic coast of North America…,” the research experiences.
Effects Have Already Been Noticeable Over The Last Decade With Hurricanes Sandy And Ida
The results of the town’s gradual sinkage have been noticeable over the past decade. This was notably seen within the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Ida.
“In 2012, Hurricane Sandy forced seawater into the city. Whereas heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ida in 2021 overwhelmed drainage systems because of heavy runoff within the mostly paved city.”
Repeated publicity of constructing foundations to salt water “can corrode steel and chemically weaken concrete causing structural weakening.”
He fears that the structural integrity of the town’s many buildings could possibly be in danger sooner or later, too. Particularly these alongside “coastal and riverfront areas.”
“The combination of tectonic and anthropogenic subsidence, sea level rise, and increasing hurricane intensity imply an accelerating problem along coastal and riverfront areas,” he wrote.
NYC Remains Ranked Third In The World In Terms Of Future Assets Exposed To Coastal Flooding
According to Parsons, New York City is ranked third on the earth “in terms of future exposed assets to coastal flooding.”
“90% of the 67,400 structures in the expanded post-Hurricane Sandy flood-risk areas have not been built to floodplain standards.”
He believes that builders aren’t taking the menace significantly. Meanwhile, the specter of extreme storms persists, probably resulting in elevated concern as years move.
“[Greenhouse gas] appears to be reducing the natural wind shear barrier along the US East Coast, which will allow more frequent high intensity hurricane events in the coming decades.”
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