A recent study has revealed how much New York City is sinking, and which areas are being affected the most. The study, conducted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Rutgers’ Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, found that the city is sinking at a rate of approximately 1.6 millimeters per year due to rising sea levels. The primary cause of this sinking is glacial isostatic adjustment, a geological process where land that was once suppressed under massive ice caps rises up as the ice melts, and then slowly returns to its original levels. The study showed that the most rapid sinking is occurring in areas where landfill sites once existed, such as LaGuardia Airport in Queens and the nearby Arthur Ashe Stadium, home of the U.S. Open. In fact, the rooftop of Arthur Ashe Stadium is made of lightweight cloth to counteract the sinking, according to one of the study’s authors. Outside of the city, the study found that Highway 440 and Interstate 78 are sinking at a faster rate than other areas.
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