The study showed that New York is sinking under the weight of skyscrapers.
- May 19, 2023
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City NY This sinking due in part to the weight of its skyscrapers, which puts New Yorkers at risk of flooding due to rising sea level, revealed a
City NY This sinking due in part to the weight of its skyscrapers, which puts New Yorkers at risk of flooding due to rising sea level, revealed a new study.
Researchers who published their findings in a journal Future of the Earthit is estimated that every year the city in USA sags between 1 and 2 millimeters (mm). However, there are areas where it plunges up to 600 mm, which is due to the physical characteristics of the soil and the modes of the foundation.
This puts 8.4 million residents of the US region at risk due to sea level rise, which in turn is accelerating due to glacier melt due to global warming.
Some areas are particularly vulnerable, such as much of the lower Manhattan, as they are only 1 and 2 meters high above sea level. This is because clay-rich soils and artificial embankment have the highest post-construction settlement compared to more elastic soils.
That’s how scientists warned when they calculated the mass of 1,84,954 buildings in five New York City boroughs and simulated settling caused by the pressure they put on the ground. Earth.
Thus, the city is sinking due to the mass of famous skyscrapers such as Empire State And chrysler buildingwhich weigh over 762 billion kilograms, roughly equivalent to the weight of 140 million elephants.
Added to this are subsidences that have already occurred due to deglaciation and changes in ice loads in the 20th century caused by changing of the climate. Combining this with human construction and intensifying hurricanes poses a problem for New Yorkers.
In 2012, a hurricane hit New York. Sandy, which flooded parts of the metro and caused extensive damage, including power outages. Then in 2021 a hurricane Going It flooded areas of the city and caused the death of several people. Scientists say both events were exacerbated by the effects of global warming.
In addition, additional contributions to subsidence are made by groundwater pumping and discharge, sediment removal, and increased erosion caused by urban drainage systems.
The authors added that the risks New York faces will be shared by many other coastal cities around the world as the crisis deepens. climate crisis.
Currently UN He estimates that the world’s major cities will grow disproportionately compared to rural areas, reaching 70% of the world’s population by 2050.
However, it is also noted that the main cities of all continents except Antarctica, they sink Some experts say coastal areas will sink 200-600mm by 2050, putting their inhabitants at risk of flooding.
Thus, the purpose of the study is to raise awareness that each additional high-rise building built on a coast, river or lake may increase the risk of flooding in the future.
“As these trends continue, it will be important to consider accompanying flood mitigation strategies in growing coastal cities,” the text says.
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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