As New York City sinks under its own weight, some hotspots sink faster than others, including LaGuardia Airport, Arthur Ashe Stadium and Coney Island, according to a new NASA report.
Researchers with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Rutgers University identified several key locations in five regions that are sinking faster than the 1.6 millimeters per year average experienced by all of New York City.
LaGuardia Track and Arthur Ashe Stadium – home of the US Open – both saw the fastest decline from 2016 to 2023, falling at 3.7 and 4.6 millimeters per year, respectively, researchers published Wednesday in Science Advances.
Scientists warn that while the city’s sinking may seem slow, the added sea level rise could prove catastrophic during a powerful storm like Sandy.
Localized uplift, widespread subsidence and implications for sea level rise in the New York City metropolitan area. Science.org
“Protecting coastal populations and assets from coastal flooding is an ongoing challenge for New York City,” the researchers wrote. “The combined effects of natural sea-level variation and destructive storms are exacerbated by continued sea-level rise.”
Along with LaGuardia and Arthur Ashe, the study found that Interstate 78, which passes through the Holland Tunnel that connects Manhattan to New Jersey, is also sinking at nearly double the citywide rate.
Zip and Spider Rides at Coney Island.Paul Martinka
The same is true for Highway 440, which connects Staten Island to the Garden State.
Other areas that sank faster included Coney Island, the southern part of Governors Island, Midland and South Beach on Staten Island, and Arverne by the Sea, a beach neighborhood in southern Queens.
The research team also noted that the two fastest-sinking areas, LaGuardia and Arthur Ashe, were both built on former landfill sites, which could explain their rapid decline.
An aerial view shows the plane parked at the terminal at LaGuardia Airport in New York.REUTERS
Brett Buzzang, lead author of the report, said he hopes the data can be used to help city officials develop plans to combat future flooding should another powerful storm like Sandy strike.
“There’s more damage that can be done with higher sea levels and lower land together,” Buzzanga told the Washington Post. “It kind of adds to the background conditions under which these storms act. There is more water to channel.”
The study builds on a report from the United States Geological Survey earlier this year that found the Big Apple — which has more than 1 million buildings weighing nearly 1.7 trillion pounds — is slowly bending under its own weight.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
