In recent years, the rise of the sea level has been further accelerated by hurricanes caused by climate change and the melting of glaciers.
According to a new study (you switch to another service) New York City is quietly sinking under the sea due to the weight of the huge buildings built in the metropolitan area.
It tells about it, among other things The Guardian (you are switching to another service).
According to the study, the city sinks on average 1–2 millimeters per year, but in certain districts the development is twice as fast.
As the buildings push the soil downwards, the city’s flood risk increases even more. The sea level surrounding the city of New York has risen by 22 centimeters since 1950. In recent years, the rise of the sea level has been further accelerated by hurricanes caused by climate change and the melting of glaciers.
– The matter does not give cause for immediate panic, but the ongoing process increases the flood risk, the head of the research group Tom Parsons states.
Many of New York’s largest buildings are built on bedrock. According to Parsons, repeated exposure of buildings to seawater may still corrode the steel and destabilize the buildings.
According to the research group, the challenges experienced by New York will affect more and more coastal cities in the future.
– The softer the soil, the more it sinks due to the weight of the buildings. Building big buildings in New York was not a mistake, but we should note that every new building will push the land down a little.