Illustrating Submerging Urban Landscapes
Researchers from Columbia University, the University of California Irvine, and Virginia Tech have produced a series of maps depicting land subsidence in the 28 most populous American cities. This subsidence, a gradual sinking of land, is driven by both natural and human-induced factors such as groundwater extraction, infrastructure, and sea-level rise.
The visualization provided shows the average subsidence rates from 2015 to 2021, measured in millimeters. The maps highlight areas of sinking land, denoted by darker orange, while uplift or upward movement is represented by green. Across these 28 cities, the maps single out nearly 29,000 buildings at risk. The Texan cities of Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth demonstrate the highest subsidence rates.
According to recent research, a significant number of major metropolitan areas across the US are experiencing varying degrees of subsidence, with some cities reporting rates over 2mm per year. Cities with rates exceeding 2mm per year include Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas, New York, Chicago, Columbus (OH), Seattle, and Denver. Furthermore, cities such as Austin, Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, El Paso, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis, Nashville, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Washington D.C. are also affected by subsidence.
It is noted that at least 20% of urban land areas in 25 of the 28 cities are affected by subsidence, with significant portions of their land affected. The specific average rates for each city from 2015 to 2021 are not provided in the studies, but it is evident that subsidence is a pressing issue in these cities.
- In the realm of environmental science, AI-driven research is being utilized to predict the impact of subsidence on health-and-wellness, particularly in relation to buildings and infrastructure, considering the high-risk areas identified in the 28 most populous American cities.
- The study of climate change, which includes factors like sea-level rise and groundwater extraction, is crucial in understanding and mitigating the rapid subsidence rates observed in cities such as Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas, and others, where rates exceed 2mm per year.
- As fitness-and-exercise enthusiasts look towards urban planning for healthier cities, the environmental-science community emphasizes the need to address the subsidence issue prevalent in numerous American cities, affecting over 20% of their urban land areas.
