sinking into the abyss
Miami's Beachfront High-Rises Are sinking Fast. It's A Warning For Coastal Properties Worldwide
Miami's luxurious barrier islands high-rises are sinking, pointing to an expensive issue for coastal properties and cities worldwide.
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The Lede
Coastal properties worldwide are sinking, including some of Miami's pricey waterfront high-rises. Cities all over the world weigh so much and draw so much groundwater from beneath them that they're sinking into the ground. It's been documented on every continent. That sinking can lead to expensive — and sometimes deadly — damage and flooding in some of the most populated places on Earth. It doesn't have to, though.
Key Details
- In a study published in the journal Earth and space science in December, researchers found that 35 buildings along the coasts of Miami's barrier islands sunk into the ground by 2 to 8 centimeters between 2016 and 2023.
- This sinking phenomenon, called subsidence, is happening "almost everywhere that we look," said Manoochehr shirzaei, a geophysicist.
- The new Miami study shows how satellites can help save buildings and infrastructure before the sinking contributes to catastrophic failure.
