The state capital that is very slowly sinking into the ground spelling catastrophe for its 1million residents
Columbus, Ohio is disappearing beneath our feet - with shocking new research revealing the entire city is gradually sinking into the ground at an alarming rate, scientists have revealed in a new study.
The bustling Midwestern state capital has been identified as one of America's most at-risk urban areas for what scientists call 'urban land subsidence'.
A bombshell study published in the journal Nature Cities found that a staggering 98 percent of Columbus' land area is sinking at an average rate of 2mm per year.
That's enough to potentially trigger catastrophic damage to buildings, roads and vital services.
'The latent nature of this risk means infrastructure can be silently compromised over time, with damage only becoming evident when it is severe or potentially catastrophic,' researchers wrote.
The crisis isn't limited to Columbus – scientists found that in every major US city studied, at least 20 percent of the land is sinking.
And In 25 of 28, at least a shocking 65 percent has been found to be sinking.
Columbus joins nine other urban centers facing the most extreme subsidence rates including Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis.
Professor Manoochehr Shirzaei, who co-authored the study at Virginia Tech's Earth Observation and Innovation Lab, told WOS U: 'Columbus land subsidence is notable compared to many other cities in the country, but it's not near what we have at the fastest-sinking cities such as Houston and San Antonio in Texas.'
'Those cities experience subsidence due to human activity, which is groundwater, but also oil and gas exploration - a different type of fluid, but the same process.
'But also, they have been affected by compaction of the sediments in the coastal region. So, in that sense, Columbus, Ohio is not at as critical a condition compared to those. Nevertheless, the rate of land subsidence in Columbus is also one of the fastest that we saw in the country.'
The alarming phenomenon is partly driven by natural processes dating back to the Ice Age, when thick ice sheets covered northern America 15,000 years ago.
'The majority of the land subsidence that you experience in Columbus is driven by a natural process. We call it glacial isostatic adjustment.
'So, the northern part of the America was covered by thick layer of ice about 15,000 years ago,' he added.
'Since then, that thick layer of ice has melted and land in Canada is rising, and the perimeter of that area-which is part of United States, specifically northern part and eastern part-are subsiding, and we are talking about one to three millimeters [per year] of the steady subsidence happening in Columbus, Ohio,' Prof Shirzaei explained to the outlet.
But human activities are making matters worse.
For example, groundwater extraction has played a key role in accelerating the disaster.
'We have human activities like groundwater extraction, which is the main component of the human activities driving the land subsidence that we observe today.'
In this image released by the Ohio Department of Transportation, a person is seen stranded on his vehicle in flood waters at I-270 and US 23 in Columbus' South Side, Ohio, Tuesday, April 3, 2024
'When we extract the water from the aquifer, specifically a confined aquifer, we empty those porous spaces and those porous spaces no longer can hold the weight of the material above them and they begin to collapse inward. As a result, land above them subsides,' the expert warned.
Columbus officials appeared unaware of the impending disaster threatening their city.
When asked about the research by Axios, Mayor Andrew Ginther's office redirected inquiries to the city's Sustainable Columbus team.
Assistant director Erin Beck said 'this is the first we are hearing'.
'As we review this study more closely, we'll assess how its findings might inform the city's ongoing efforts to build a more resilient Columbus,' she added.
The study also highlighted increasing flood risks for Central Ohio that would require 'upgraded structural protection, raised land, improved drainage systems and green infrastructure'.
This could potentially cost millions in taxpayer funds.
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