Latest news with #MarinGovorcin
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists sound the alarm after uncovering surprising factor threatening California coasts: 'The land is moving down'
A recently published NASA-led study revealed that sea levels aren't just rising in California — parts of the land are also sinking, Maven's Notebook reported. These phenomena pose a looming public health and safety threat to coastal city residents in the state, as well as in major cities across the world where land sinking is occurring. Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have extensively mapped the topography of land throughout California, using satellite radar to identify rising and sinking throughout the land. The researchers learned that the San Francisco Bay Area (specifically San Rafael, Corte Madera, Foster City, and Bay Farm Island) is "subsiding at a steady rate of more than 0.4 inches (10 millimeters) per year due largely to sediment compaction," per Maven's Notebook. A major culprit of land sinking is the overpumping of groundwater, used for drinking and irrigation, according to the New York Times. Accounting for the rate of land sinking at the lowest points in the Bay Area, the scientists projected that "local sea levels could rise more than 17 inches by 2050," according to Maven's Notebook. "The land is moving down faster than the sea itself is going up," the study lead author, Marin Govorcin, said, per Maven's Notebook. In some areas, notably the Santa Barbara groundwater basin and Long Beach, California, researchers observed an uplift. These elevated areas respectively coincide with a replenishing water basin and oil and gas production that leads to deformation or lifting of the ground surface. Land sinking puts coastal cities at risk of increased flooding as we experience rising sea levels caused by melting glaciers and ice sheets, which is a direct consequence of rising global temperatures. Large-scale human activities, such as burning dirty fuels for energy, have polluted the atmosphere with harmful gases that prevent solar heat from escaping, effectively warming the planet and causing sea levels to rise. A combination of these various changing conditions has caused extreme weather events, like heavy rain, flooding, heatwaves, and more, that endanger communities and could eventually displace them. Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Yes — always Yes — often Yes — sometimes No — never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. While extreme weather events have always occurred in nature, they are occurring more frequently and more forcefully due to human activities. Land sinking, rising sea levels, and rising global temperatures may seem like lost causes that we cannot interfere with. Nothing is further from the truth. Land sinking tends to occur with excessive pumping of groundwater. Knowing this, cities must reduce groundwater extraction and find alternative methods, like rainwater harvesting, to sustainably source water. Or, cities must find a plan to offset the water extracted from the ground. On an individual level, you can be a part of the climate solution by learning about climate issues that contribute to rising global temperatures and rising sea levels and how to take action. For example, driving an electric car instead of a gas-powered car reduces gas pollution, which keeps the air clear from planet-warming gases. Switching to solar, a sustainable and clean energy source, also reduces the amount of fossil fuels needed to power your home. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Areas in California are sinking into the Pacific: Maps detail NASA study
Areas in the Golden State are sinking. That's bad news for coastal cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the study identifies specific areas of California where the ground is moving upward or downward. These motions, known as vertical land motion, are triggered by both natural and human causes, such as tectonic plate movements or groundwater pumping. The study's lead author, Marin Govorcin, a remote sensing scientist at JPL, says in a statement, 'In many parts of the world, like the reclaimed ground beneath San Francisco, the land is moving down faster than the sea itself is going up.' The Central Valley is experiencing the most severe land dropping in the state, with the earth sinking up to 8 inches annually as a result of groundwater extraction during the drought, according to the statement. With areas in the Bay Area near San Francisco dipping more than 0.4 inches per year. There are also several areas considered hotspots for coastal sinking. "By 2050, sea levels in California are expected to increase to between 6 and 14.5 inches (15 and 37 centimeters) higher than year 2000 levels," according to the statement. Unable to view our graphics? Click here to see them. Heavy rainfall and erosion are most likely to blame for the slow-moving landslides that are pushing the Palos Verdes Peninsula toward the ocean. The study found that the region, long understood to be extremely landslide-prone, moved by 16 inches toward the ocean during four weeks last fall when researchers used radar during aerial flights to measure the movement. That's a rate of about 4 inches every week. "The speed is more than enough to put human life and infrastructure at risk,' Alexander Handwerger, who performed the JPL analysis, said in a news release. Not all Californian coastal areas are moving lower. The Santa Barbara groundwater basin, which has been continuously replenishing since 2018, has rising areas of several millimeters per year, according to the researchers' mapping. Uplift was also seen in Long Beach, where fluid extraction and injection occur with oil and gas production. More: L.A. mudslides, landslides mapped and explained Parts of Hawaii, Chicago and New York City are among the other sites that are sinking as a result of shifting or settling earth and the weight of their skyscrapers. NASA's scientists continue to monitor coastal areas to better understand how local elevation changes can help communities adapt to rising sea levels. CONTRIBUTING: Jeanine Santucci. SOURCE NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Earth Observatory, California Geological Survey, Smithsonian Magazine and USA TODAY research This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California cities at risk of sinking into Pacific, NASA study shows
