Sinking New York: The skyscraper weight predicament and the looming threat of catastrophic floods
New York City is one of the world's largest and most astonishing metropolises. It is often deemed unparalleled in its charms and resources. Nevertheless, as locals affectionately call it, the Big Apple grapples with a whopping problem that magnifies each passing year. The city stands in the path of potentially devastating floods, a peril seemingly unstoppable.
10:02 AM EST, January 13, 2024
The city of New York presently accommodates over 8.5 million people, serving as the headquarters for some of the world's most influential corporations and businesses. The metropolis pulsates most vibrantly in Manhattan, an island steeped with towering skyscrapers. Interestingly, these skyscrapers contribute to the city's troubles, as confirmed by the scientists from the US Geological Survey.
The city's core, so emblematic and arguably familiar to people worldwide, bears an extraordinary weight. The estimated mass of all the Manhattan skyscrapers reaches nearly 700 trillion tons, equivalent to the weight of 140 million elephants. This monumental weight puts pressure on the island, causing it to sink approximately 0.04-0.08 inches each year. Consequently, it gradually submerges into the waters of New York Bay.
The team of scientists conducted an extensive analysis of the composition and placement of rocks beneath the city, calculating the geological changes taking place. It's a reality that sea levels are progressively rising due to melting icecaps and global warming. This situation intensifies in New York City where the weight of its countless structures applies additional pressure on the island.
"We shouldn't panic today, but we must be mindful that this process persists and elevates the flood risk in New York City," said Tom Parsons, a geophysicist from the US Geological Survey, who headed the research.
Coastal cities globally are battling the recent surge in global warming and rising sea levels. An added hurdle confronting New York City, one unlikely to be resolved in the coming decades, is the vast weight of its structures. The city was hit by a hurricane and flood that crippled the Big Apple two years prior, and the possibility of recurrent extreme weather events looms.
No one should be surprised by the occurrence of such disasters, and the New Yorkers must brace themselves for recurring catastrophic events in their city. Scientists corroborate this with compelling evidence. Notably, the water level surrounding NYC has ascended about 8.66 inches since 1950. The impending dangera? The repercussions of global warming will undoubtedly heavily impact humanity.
Could Manhattan transform into the "New Venice" as New York sinks? Scientists speculate that this grim projection could become reality in approximately 80 - 100 years.
