Home » New York Sinking Under The Weight of Its Buildings, Study Says

New York Sinking Under The Weight of Its Buildings, Study Says

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Deadly storms lash New York

New York City is sinking from the weight of its own buildings, an alarming study has found.

A study published in Earth’s Future journal found the city was sinking one to two millimetres each year.

But some parts of the city are sinking much faster than others.

New York has 8 million residents living in more than a million buildings.
New York has 8 million residents living in more than a million buildings. (iStock)

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This is largely due to the enormous weight of the buildings in the city, which combined add up to three-quarters of a trillion kilograms.

The sinking exacerbates the potential for the city to be inundated, given ocean levels around the city have risen by 23cm since 1950.

“Every additional high-rise building constructed at coastal, river, or lakefront settings could contribute to future flood risk,” the study said.

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Eight million people live in the city in more than a million buildings.

The study showed Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island all showed signs of subsidence.

But Manhattan, where most of the city’s skyscrapers are located, was most exposed.

The blue patches show where subsidence is projected to be the worst, most focused on Manhattan.
The blue patches show where subsidence is projected to be the worst, most focused on Manhattan. (Earth’s Future)

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While most of the tallest skyscrapers in Manhattan are anchored directly to bedrock, there are others that are more exposed to subsidence.

“A deeply concentrated population of 8.4 million people faces varying degrees of hazard from inundation in New York City,” the study said.

“Two recent hurricanes caused casualties and heavy damage in New York City.

“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.”

9News