New York City, the city of skyscrapers, is sinking under the weight of its towering buildings. This is evident from a new study, writes the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’. This increases the risk of flooding.
The American metropolis is estimated to sink about 1 to 2 millimeters per year. In combination with rising sea levels, this increases the risk of flooding. Sea level rise is twice as fast as the global average.
The water around the city that never sleeps has risen by about 22 centimeters since 1950. Major storms could occur four times more often by the end of this century than now. This is due to sea level rise and hurricanes that are increasing in strength due to climate change.
140 million elephants
About 8.4 million people live very close together in the city. According to the researchers, they are “threatened to varying degrees by flooding”. Other coastal cities will also have to deal with such emergencies, they write. “The combination of tectonic and anthropogenic subsidence (everything caused by humans, ed.), sea level rise and increasing hurricane intensity means an increasing problem along coastal and riverine areas.”
This development is only reinforced by the huge skyscrapers on the island. According to calculations by the researchers, all buildings together weigh 7.62 billion kilograms. For comparison: that corresponds to the weight of about 140 million elephants.
The enormous weight exerts great pressure on various materials that are in the soil of the city. Many of the large buildings stand on solid ground, such as slate, but in some places the soil consists of a mixture of sands and clay. This contributes to a sinking effect, something that has also been observed in other places along the American east coast.
No need to panic
But for now there is no reason to panic, the scientists assure. “It is not something to cause immediate panic, but there is an ongoing process that increases the risk of flooding,” it sounds. “The softer the ground, the more pressure there is from the buildings. It was not a mistake to build such big buildings in New York, but we have to keep in mind that every time you build something there, you push the ground down a little bit more.”
New York – like other coastal cities – must prepare for the consequences of sea level rise, the scientists conclude. Repeated exposure to seawater can corrode steel and destabilize buildings, it sounds. “Floods also kill people, which is probably the biggest concern.”
LOOK ALSO. New York City parking garage falls to rubble
LOOK ALSO. Lightning bolt strikes One World Trade Center
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.