What is the real cause for some sinking cities? Allow me to start by sharing a lesson from the 1920s and 1930s that developed on the end of eastern Long Island, in a town call Montauk, New York. This town is named after Montauk Sachem, who was the tribe leader around 1665 that ruled from the eastern end to the western end of Long Island for decades. However, to share this lesson we must first head south to Miami during the 1920s. Miami had become the popular spot to stay in the winter months for prosperous people living in the northern states. Yet, when the hot summer months came in Miami, they abandon Miami to head back north for cooler temperatures.
From this, Carl Fisher who developed Miami Beach in the 1920s, wanted to make Montauk the "Miami of the North" for the summer months. Therefore, all those that can afford the travel, would be able enjoy beach weather all year long without the extreme heat. Miami beaches would be enjoyed in the winter months and Montauk beaches in the summertime. Plans were drawn up to construct hotels, restaurants and clubs to accommodate the potential crowds visiting Montauk in the summer.
For Mr. Fisher, alas, his dream did not come true for one main reason. This reason is the lesson never learned and now a major contributing factor as to why so many cities are sinking, and sinking fast...
Major coastal cities around the world today are sinking and facing flooding caused by the all encompassing battle cry prediction under climate change. Cities such as Miami are losing land to the rising water levels, but is that the complete truth?
The journal Geophysical Research Letters published a study of 99 cities with the end result showing some of the major cities around the world are sinking more than the rising sea around them. How can that be? This is by far a threat more urgent than previously predicted under climate change. Yet, climate change (I prefer, a changing climate) does not have anything to do with this phenomenon. This is what the study reported:
Over 33 cities are sinking more than one centimeter per year. At that rate we find based on data from the PNAS, (National Academy of Sciences) a peer reviewed journal that offered recent estimates of global sea-level rise, we have a sinking rate that is five times faster than the rising seawater levels.
The fastest sinking cities are located in Southeast Asia. Indonesia's capital has a city with 10.5 million people. This city, Jakarta, is sinking fast. So while these cities are not sinking fast because of climate change, they are sinking fast because of other humankind actions.
From InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar), a technique for mapping ground deformation using radar images of the Earth's surface, we have collected data from orbiting satellites that show the following:
From this, Carl Fisher who developed Miami Beach in the 1920s, wanted to make Montauk the "Miami of the North" for the summer months. Therefore, all those that can afford the travel, would be able enjoy beach weather all year long without the extreme heat. Miami beaches would be enjoyed in the winter months and Montauk beaches in the summertime. Plans were drawn up to construct hotels, restaurants and clubs to accommodate the potential crowds visiting Montauk in the summer.
For Mr. Fisher, alas, his dream did not come true for one main reason. This reason is the lesson never learned and now a major contributing factor as to why so many cities are sinking, and sinking fast...
Major coastal cities around the world today are sinking and facing flooding caused by the all encompassing battle cry prediction under climate change. Cities such as Miami are losing land to the rising water levels, but is that the complete truth?
The journal Geophysical Research Letters published a study of 99 cities with the end result showing some of the major cities around the world are sinking more than the rising sea around them. How can that be? This is by far a threat more urgent than previously predicted under climate change. Yet, climate change (I prefer, a changing climate) does not have anything to do with this phenomenon. This is what the study reported:
Over 33 cities are sinking more than one centimeter per year. At that rate we find based on data from the PNAS, (National Academy of Sciences) a peer reviewed journal that offered recent estimates of global sea-level rise, we have a sinking rate that is five times faster than the rising seawater levels.
The fastest sinking cities are located in Southeast Asia. Indonesia's capital has a city with 10.5 million people. This city, Jakarta, is sinking fast. So while these cities are not sinking fast because of climate change, they are sinking fast because of other humankind actions.
From InSAR (Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar), a technique for mapping ground deformation using radar images of the Earth's surface, we have collected data from orbiting satellites that show the following:
Montauk never became the "Miami of the North" because there wasn't enough clean drinkable water under the narrow land strip of eastern Long Island. Pumping water up from the ground would allow salty seawater to encroach and within a few years, there would be no clean domestic water left to use in all the hotels, restaurants and clubs. If this lesson was remembered and expanded upon, humankind would not have pumped up water from below our cities and our cities would not be sinking faster than the rising sea. The humankind issue with the fastest sinking cities isn't called climate change, the name is subsidence.
Subsidence is when land settles or is compacted due to a drastic change well underground. Subsidence is the cause for many of our cities sinking at a faster rate. All of humankind's actions to pump groundwater up and out, causes buildings to sink more and more. If the "Miami of the North" became a reality like Miami in Florida, we would now be comparing the problems of a sinking Miami to a sinking Montauk.
We must now rethink our developments and paving over our land with blacktop and cement. All of this prevents rain from recharging the water tables below. A process that takes centuries when not disrupted. Additional, alternatives must be found so massive extraction of groundwater is reduced or stopped. One advantage New York City has is that their drinking water reservoirs are upstate and not a contributing factor to reducing the water tables below the city. Around the start of this century, the Indonesian government has been regulating the extraction of groundwater. The city of Jakarta was sinking on average 20 centimeters a year for the past three decades. Recently, after new citywide actions, the city only sank 3 centimeters in the past seven years.
So because the media is only pushing a narrative that makes advertisement dollars, they fail to present the complete truth to the public. After all, the media deems facts and truth boring. End result, a delay in knowing the complete story and bringing forth real solutions.
Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!
Subsidence is when land settles or is compacted due to a drastic change well underground. Subsidence is the cause for many of our cities sinking at a faster rate. All of humankind's actions to pump groundwater up and out, causes buildings to sink more and more. If the "Miami of the North" became a reality like Miami in Florida, we would now be comparing the problems of a sinking Miami to a sinking Montauk.
We must now rethink our developments and paving over our land with blacktop and cement. All of this prevents rain from recharging the water tables below. A process that takes centuries when not disrupted. Additional, alternatives must be found so massive extraction of groundwater is reduced or stopped. One advantage New York City has is that their drinking water reservoirs are upstate and not a contributing factor to reducing the water tables below the city. Around the start of this century, the Indonesian government has been regulating the extraction of groundwater. The city of Jakarta was sinking on average 20 centimeters a year for the past three decades. Recently, after new citywide actions, the city only sank 3 centimeters in the past seven years.
So because the media is only pushing a narrative that makes advertisement dollars, they fail to present the complete truth to the public. After all, the media deems facts and truth boring. End result, a delay in knowing the complete story and bringing forth real solutions.
Bill Lauto, at GoingTrueGreen.com
Environmental Scientist
International Sustainability and Energy Consultant
Contribute your comments!
