New York City could go underwater - Space

New York City is slowly but surely going under water. Every year the ground under the metropolis sinks by about 1.6 metres. About it writes Space.

That the American metropolis can repeat the fate of the Italian Venice stated scientist Brett Buzzang. He made a detailed mapping of the city and found out that the land of New York "moves", in other words - goes under water. Among the neighbourhoods that are submerging faster than others are the most densely populated: Queens, Brooklyn and lower Mangeton.

Queens neighbourhoods like LaGuardia Airport runway 13/31 and Arthur Ashe Stadium are sinking faster than others. And the reason for this appears to be a fundamental error in their placement. The fact is that these facilities were built on landfills," Buzzang pointed out.

At the same time, he noted that the movement of the ground under the metropolis does not always mean subsidence. In some parts of the city, it has risen.

In East Williamsburg in Brooklyn, there is an annual rise of 15.2 mm," he pointed out.

The scientist's paper said that the threat of rising water levels in New York City is higher than the average for the Atlantic coast of North America and in the event of flooding, 8.4 million New Yorkers could be at the mercy of the elements.

But even if there is no flooding in the coming years, the integrity of skyscrapers will be at risk. As the researcher points out, prolonged exposure to seawater leads to corrosion of rebar and weakening of concrete in foundations, which means that the houses will begin to pose a danger to their residents or workers.

It is suggested that groundwater pumping and the use of injection wells may be the culprits behind the gradual waterlogging of the metropolis.

The authors of the study note that waterlogging of the city can accelerate prolonged rains, hurricanes, which are observed in the region more often.

Note, New York is located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in the southeastern part of New York State. It is the most important railway, air and sea transport hub, as well as the financial centre of the country.