A new study has brought to light a pressing issue facing many major cities along the US Atlantic coast: they are sinking, some at a rate as high as 5 millimeters (mm) per year.
This finding, which emerges from research conducted by Virginia Tech and the US Geological Survey, underscores a challenge that could outstrip the problems posed by the global rise in sea levels.
Cities such as New York City and Long Island, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk are particularly vulnerable.
These areas are experiencing “subsidence,” a term for the sinking of land, at a pace that varies from rapid to slow, posing a significant risk to essential infrastructure like roads, airports, railways, and even the foundations of buildings.
Leonard Ohenhen, the study’s lead author alongside Manoochehr Shirzaei, have voiced concerns over the continuous sinking, especially in densely populated areas that have historically overlooked the importance of infrastructure maintenance.
This neglect, coupled with the sinking land, could have severe implications for the health and safety of the region’s infrastructure.
The team’s research method involved analyzing a vast amount of data collected by radar satellites in space. This approach allowed them to create detailed digital maps showing precisely which areas are sinking and by how much.
These new maps reveal that significant portions of the East Coast are sinking by at least 2 mm per year, with certain mid-Atlantic areas experiencing rates exceeding 5 mm per year. This rate surpasses the global average sea level rise of about 4 mm per year.
The implications of this study are far-reaching, affecting over 2 million people and 800,000 properties. Critical infrastructure, including roads, railways, airports, and levees, is under threat across several East Coast cities, where varying rates of subsidence are creating uneven risks.
Notably, areas around New York’s JFK and LaGuardia airports, as well as railway systems, are experiencing subsidence rates that exceed 2 mm per year.
This situation threatens to cause infrastructure damage and increase flood risks, particularly as sea levels continue to rise due to climate change.
The researchers emphasize the urgency of their findings, pointing out the real and gradual impact of land subsidence on communities and infrastructure.
Patrick Barnard, a research geologist with the USGS and coauthor of the study, highlighted the unique contribution of this research in filling a critical information gap.
The insights provided by Shirzaei and his team at Virginia Tech offer a valuable tool for addressing the dual challenges of subsidence and sea level rise, aiming to mitigate the risks facing coastal populations and their infrastructures.
The research findings can be found in PNAS.
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