How much do skyscrapers in New York weigh? Enough for the American city to sink inexorably. It is crumbling under the weight of its tall buildings, according to a recent study by researchers from the University of Rhode Island and relayed by Science Alert. Academics have studied and modeled the geology beneath the Big Apple using satellite data.
This process, called ‘subsidence’, is a gradual settling that occurs when soft sediments move or heavy loads on the ground push them deeper. Conclusion of the study published in Earth’s Future : New York is sinking 1 to 2 millimeters per year. But this is an average. Thus, some neighborhoods are collapsing faster than others.
Skyscrapers weigh 76.4 million tons
The total mass of New York buildings is estimated at 764,000,000,000 kg, or 76.4 million tons. Researchers removed weight from New York’s roads, sidewalks, bridges, train tracks and paved areas. They had to take into account the complex surface geology beneath the city, consisting of sand, silt and clay lake deposits and rocky outcrops.
“The aim of this article is to raise awareness that each new high-rise building built by the sea, river or lake could contribute to future flood risk,” writes geologist Tom Parsons, who participated in the study.
Jakarta too
Researchers have established that the deformation could cause problems for the lower city, which is home to more than 8 million inhabitants. And building dykes would not be the appropriate response. Drainage and pumping of groundwater could also aggravate the situation.
New York is not the only city to sink irreparably. Jakarta is seeing parts of it sink nearly 11 centimeters a year due to groundwater extraction. The Indonesian capital could be under water by 2050.