New York City is collapsing beneath the weight of its own city and among the first areas to be affected by such a tragedy are LaGuardia Airport, Arthur Ashe Stadium and Coney Island, according to a recent NASA report. The five boroughs of New York City are sinking more quickly than the city as a whole, which is sinking at a rate of 1.6 millimetres annually, according to research conducted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Rutgers University According to research published in Science Advances, from 2016 to 2023, the US Open Venue Arthur year respectively These two locations may have sunk the fastest since they were both constructed over previous landfills report also highlights Interstate 78 as sinking at nearly double the rate of the rest of the city. It passes through the Holland Tunnel connecting Manhattan to New Jersey. As per the reports from NDTV, additional areas affected include the southern half of Governors Island, parts of Staten Island, and Arverne by the Sea
Further the threat presented by the city’s sinking is being worsened by increasing sea levels Hurricanes and extratropical storms have caused coastal flooding in the city among other problems One of the examples is Superstorm Sandy of 2012 which devastated the city Protecting coastal populations and assets from coastal flooding is an ongoing challenge for New York City. The combined effect of natural sea level variations and destructive storms is being increasingly exacerbated by ongoing sea level rise the researchers wrote in the report Ashe Stadium and runways at LaGuardia airport saw the most sinking, lowering at rates of 3.7 and 4.6 millimetres per Protecting coastal populations and assets from coastal flooding is a continuing challenge for New York City, according to the researchers’ report. Sea level rise is continuing, which is progressively worsening the combined impact of natural sea level variations and destructive storms
NASA research also added that Interstate 78, which passes through the Holland Tunnel that connects Manhattan to New Jersey, is also sinking at nearly double the rate of the rest of the city. The southern half of Governors Island, Midland and South Beach in Staten Island and Arverne by the Sea a coastal neighbourhood in southern Queens are also sinking faster The report was released after the United States Geological Survey discovered earlier this year that the New York metropolis’s more than 1 million buildings weigh close to 1.7 trillion pounds and that the city was gradually collapsing under its own weight. The report stated that the city was sinking at the rate of 1-2 millilitres per year. The researchers arrived at the result by comparing the geology beneath the city to satellite data showing
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… A deeply concentrated population of 8.4 million people faces varying degrees of hazard from inundation in New York City,” lead researcher and geologist Tom Parsons of the United States Geological Survey wrote in the report in May The team of researchers calculated the cumulative mass of the more than 1 million buildings in New York City, which worked out to be 764,000,000,000 kilograms or 1.68 trillion pounds. They divided the city into a grid of 100-by-100-metre squares and converted building mass to downward pressure by factoring in gravity’s pull. Increased urbanisation, including the draining and pumping of groundwater, could only add to New York’s subsidence problem, the researchers warned earlier
New York City the iconic concrete jungle that never sleeps, is facing a silent and gradual crisis beneath its bustling streets and towering skyscrapers. While the city’s skyline continues to evolve, a different story unfolds beneath the surface. In a recent NASA report, alarming findings reveal that New York City is sinking. Some of its famous landmarks are reportedly descending at an accelerated paceAs per the reports from NDTV, the city’s overall subsidence rate, averaging 1.6 millimetres annually, is further compounded by the increasing threat of rising sea levels. The NASA report identifies several prominent hotspots sinking faster than the city’s average rate, posing significant challenges for the metropolis. Notable locations affected include LaGuardia Airport, Arthur Ashe Stadium, Coney Island, and more. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Rutgers University conducted the research, revealing that the city’s five boroughs are sinking at varying rates
One striking revelation is that from 2016 to 2023, Arthur Ashe Stadium, the famed venue of the US Open, and the runways at LaGuardia Airport have experienced some of the most significant sinkings, with rates of 3.7 and 4.6 millimetres per year, respectively. Notably, both of these locations were constructed over former landfills, potentially contributing to their accelerated subsidence The city’s sinking crisis is exacerbated by the growing threat of sea-level rise. It has also led to coastal flooding and other issues, as exemplified by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Protecting coastal populations and assets from coastal flooding is a continuing challenge for New York City, according to the researchers’ report. Sea level rise is continuing, which is progressively worsening the combined impact of natural sea level variations and destructive storms.