Mexico City faces severe land subsidence according to satellite data

A study published in the journal Nature Cities, conducted by researchers Shengli Tao and Xie Hu, reveals significant land subsidence across 465 major cities in 107 countries using satellite data from 2014 to 2023.

In Mexico City, certain areas are sinking by nearly 22 centimeters annually, which could result in a total drop of over two meters within a decade. Such rapid subsidence poses critical risks to urban infrastructure, including structural stress on building foundations, cracking roads, and the loss of gradient in sewage systems. While the city's average subsidence rate is eight millimeters per year, the city of Torreón in Mexico experiences a rate of 17 millimeters.

The research highlights vast regional differences. While metropolises like London and New York remain relatively stable, significant subsidence is occurring in Southeast Asia, West Asia, and North America, with entire urban areas in Indonesia losing several centimeters of elevation each year.