New York Sinking: Coastal Flooding Due to Rising Sea Levels Threatens to Sink Big Apple

Rising sea level has been a major repercussion of climate change, primarily because of melting glaciers and ice sheets in polar continents, as well as in other icy regions of the world. For years, climate models have shown that global sea-level rise will worsen in the coming decades. Scientists have also warned that low-lying coastal communities are at risk of flooding from ocean waters.

The threat implies that immediate areas near the coastline and at low-altitude ground level are at risk of being submerged. One such place is the Florida coastal areas, which like other locations in the world, have been projected to be impacted by the rising ocean level across the globe. However, there are other places where human-induced activities exacerbate the dangers brought by natural factors.

One such place is New York, where according to a new study led by researchers in the United States, is sinking 'under its own weight' and is now more vulnerable than ever to rising sea levels and coastal erosion due to the warming of the planet and melting ice caps. The 'New York sinking' phenomenon is apparently caused by the weight of the city's infrastructure such as its massive buildings.

For decades, climate scientists have warned that atmospheric warming and ocean warming are contributing to rising sea levels, as frozen water returns to the sea, accumulating at an unprecedented level. This climate disaster is triggered by global warming, caused by global warming, and fueled by human activities like greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel burning.

New York Sinking

New York City is currently sinking or is undergoing the process of subsidence due to the excessive weight of its skyscrapers, a symbol of America's financial capital city. The new study published in the journal Earth's Future on May 8 indicates the Big Apple faces an accelerated inundation risk from global sea level rise, as well as flooding and increasing storm intensity.

Involved in the study, researchers from the University of Rhode Island mentioned in their report that New York City is sinking at an average rate of 1 to 2 millimeters each year. Meanwhile, some areas built on much softer rock or artificial landfill were sinking much faster, at a rate of 4.5 millimeters per year, as cited by Phys.org.

Rising Global Sea Levels

Global sea levels are rising at an alarming rate in previous years, as shown by multiple studies and government reports. It is a result of human-induced global warming, with recent warming rates being 'unexpected' for more than 2500 years, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

NASA explains that sea level rise is caused mainly by two events related to global warming. The first factor of such rise is due to added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers, while the second is due to the expansion of seawater as it gets warm.