American geologists have revealed new studies in which they were able to conclude that New York City is sinking little by little, due to the weight of its massive buildings and skyscrapers. Because of this, the metropolis now has a flooding threat it will have to find a solution for to avoid living underwater in the future.
As a result, the country is now under alert, since the Big Apple has around a million buildings and skyscrapers that weight around 1.7 billion tons. The new research also unveiled that the city is subsiding by approximately one to two millimeters every year.
Experts stated that these buildings’ gravitation is the same weight of 1.9 million Boeing 747 airplanes when fully loaded with fuels. In the same line, Tom Parsons, US Geological Service leader, affirmed that several zones in the city might end up underwater at some point. However, researchers cannot certainly tell when this will happen exactly.
Parsons added that places such as Brooklyn, Queens and Lower Manhattan have a different ground composition, that makes sinking processes faster compared to other places. In addition, the skyscrapers located in Midtown Manhattan are mostly built under rocks that are slightly compressed.
The New York government assured that the sea level has raised over 23 centimeters, at least compared to registers done in the past. The highest level ever seen was in 1950, but some estimations say water levels could increase from eight to thirty inches by 2050. Tom Parsons also stated that, although this is not an imminent short-term catastrophic event, some solutions for the near future include banning the construction of skyscrapers in the Big Apple.