NASA-Led Study Pinpoints Areas of New York City Sinking, Rising
Scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Rutgers University have observed that the land in the New York City metropolitan area is sinking and rising at different rates due to human and natural factors. The researchers used a remote sensing technique, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), to analyze the vertical land motion across the area from 2016 to 2023. The findings reveal that the metropolitan area subsided by about 0.06 inches (1.6 millimeters) per year, with some areas, such as LaGuardia Airport and Arthur Ashe Stadium, subsiding more rapidly. The study emphasizes the importance of tracking local elevation changes for flood mapping and planning purposes, particularly as climate change results in sea levels rising worldwide.
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