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Study Confirms All 28 Largest U.S. Cities Are Sinking

Groundwater extraction is driving 80% of land subsidence, with Houston experiencing the fastest sinking rates, threatening infrastructure and affecting 34 million residents.

© Columbia Climate School
Thousands of buildings in San Antonio are high or very high risk of suffering damage from land subsidence, a team of geoscientists reported. Loss of elevation is a problem in 25 of the nation's largest cities, they wrote.
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land sinking

Overview

  • A new high-resolution satellite analysis reveals that all 28 most populous U.S. cities are experiencing land subsidence, with 25 cities seeing at least 65% of their areas sinking.
  • Houston leads as the fastest-sinking city, with over 40% of its area subsiding at rates above 5 mm annually, and 12% sinking at twice that rate or more.
  • Groundwater extraction accounts for 80% of the subsidence, with additional contributing factors including geological processes, urban infrastructure weight, and oil and gas pumping in some regions.
  • Around 29,000 buildings in dense urban cores are at high risk due to differential motion, where uneven sinking and occasional uplift stress infrastructure foundations.
  • Researchers warn that population growth, climate-driven droughts, and rising seas will exacerbate subsidence risks, calling for proactive groundwater management and infrastructure adaptations.