• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Viewpoints Radio

Viewpoints Radio

Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.

  • Home
  • Archive
    • Full Segment Archive
    • Advanced Search
    • Filters
    • Recent Segments
    • Segment Finder (Sort & Filter)
    • Segment Type
      • Culture Crash
      • Feature Stories
      • Inside Looks
      • Viewpoints Explained
    • Taxonomies
      • Books & Publications
      • Genres
      • Guests
      • Institutions & Organizations
      • Movies, TV & Digital Media
      • Notable Figures
      • Program Numbers
      • Topics
  • How to Listen
    • Podcast & Digital Outlets
    • Terrestrial Broadcast
    • Ways to Listen Overview
  • About
    • About Viewpoints Radio
    • Contact Us
    • FAQ
    • Our Team
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Login
    • Become an Affiliate
    • Benefits of Being an Affiliate
    • More About Syndicated Radio Programming
    • Public Affairs & FCC Requirements FAQ
    • Sample Programs

Viewpoints Explained: Sinking Cities: What’s Causing The Ground To Drop

You are here: Home / Archive / Viewpoints Explained / Viewpoints Explained: Sinking Cities: What’s Causing The Ground To Drop
Published: June 25, 2025 by VPR Producer

This is Viewpoints Explained…

From coast to coast, there’s a shift happening, and it’s not a positive one. A study published in the journal Nature Cities last month reveals that all twenty-eight of the biggest U.S. Cities are experiencing sinking. In nearly all of the cities, two-thirds of the land mass is affected. The formal term for this is called land subsidence. And it’s not just coastal regions. It’s taking place in the Midwest and far inland too.

To reach these conclusions, researchers turned to satellite data, analyzing hundreds of pictures of ground levels between 2015 and 2021. The data showed that Houston, Texas is the fastest-sinking city with more than 40 percent of its land area dropping by faster than five or more millimeters per year. Other places at the top of the list include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Dallas.

You might read five or ten millimeters and think, “That’s nothing” but the compounding effect over time can compromise the structural integrity of buildings, bridges and roads. Lowering land elevations also increases the risk of flooding, especially in coastal areas already dealing with sea-level rise.

So, what’s the main culprit? Scientists point to excessive groundwater extraction. As cities pump water from underground aquifers to meet growing demands, the land above compresses and sinks. With population growth and intensifying climate change, study researchers believe the sinking itself may be unavoidable, but the damage doesn’t have to be. This information should be used to adapt current building codes and practices as well as create wider-scale solutions that may be able to slow this deterioration. This change is hard to see, but it’s one that we can’t afford to ignore.

Program #: 25-25segment type: Viewpoints ExplainedTopics - Climate Change| Infrastructure and Engineering| Public Safety| Research| Science| Urban PlanningHost - Ebony McMorrisProducers - Amirah Zaveri| Jason Dickey
  • 24Share on Facebook
  • 31Share on Twitter
  • 18Share on Instagram
  • 8Share on LinkedIn
  • 6Share on Reddit
  • 10Share on Pinterest
  • 39Share on Email

Related Segments:

Viewpoints Explained: What’s Happening In Haiti?

Viewpoints Explained: New Questions Emerge Around Spacex And Nasa’s Mission To Mars

Viewpoints Explained: What Does the Oceangate Disaster Signal About Extreme Tourism?

Viewpoints Explained: Closing The Digital Divide One Classroom At A Time

Viewpoints Explained: A Big Setback for Future Missions to Mars

Viewpoints Explained: Protein Bars To Peanut Butter: Figuring Out What Counts As Ultraprocessed Foods

Previous Post:The Push To Improve Youth Mental Health Care
Next Post:Culture Crash: Stephen King’s Most Unexpected Movie Yet

About VPR Producer

Since 2000, Viewpoints Radio has been bringing listeners the relevant information they crave in current events, literature, entertainment and more. Both Viewpoints Radio and sister show Radio Health Journal are productions of AURN.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sidebar


AURN Podcasts


Trending Topics

Media and Entertainment

History

Culture and the Arts

Literature and Writing

Government and Politics

Education

Health and Medicine

Business and Entrepreneurship

Psychology and Psychiatry

Family and Interpersonal Relationships


Feature Stories

Keeping Love Alive: What Every Couple Needs To Know

Hurricanes In A Warming World

Part 2: Food Insecurity In The U.S: How Local Pantries And National Policy Work In Tandem


Culture Crash

Culture Crash: Why “Breach” Proves That Twenty One Pilots Still Has It

Culture Crash: What Sabrina Carpenter Learned From Jack Antonoff

Culture Crash: Jessica Chastain, Vince Gilligan, And Why AppleTV+ Is Doubling Down


Most Discussed

The Higher Education Conundrum

A Life Undone: Falling Victim to Identity Theft

Brand Seduction: Are you sure why you buy what you buy?


Check out our sister show Radio Health Journal

  • Medical Notes: Binge-Watching Is Good For Your Brain, How To Detect Cancer At Home, And Breaking Bad Fitness Habits
  • Glioblastoma: The Aggressive Brain Cancer That Has A Sweet Tooth
  • Heal The Soul, Heal The Body: Immersive Reality For Interfaith Rooms
  • Medical Notes: You’re Taking Too Many Medications, Why Early Detection For Alzheimer’s Disease Isn’t Working, And A Better Treatment For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
  • Do Americans Have A Prejudice Against Immigrant Doctors?
  • Everyone Has A Status: The Fight To End HIV
  • Medical Notes: A New Weight Loss Drug Without The Side Effects, How Paternal Drinking Affects Kids, And How To Fix Your Arthritic Knees Without Surgery
  • Cheap Drugs Have A High Cost: The Safety Issues Of Generic Prescriptions
  • Can Suicide Be Prevented? Stories From Survivors And Loved Ones

Archives

Advanced Search
↑

Stay up-to-date on the latest in current events, public affairs, literature, culture, entertainment & more.

Enter your email address to get notifications & instant access to new Viewpoints Radio segments as they are released.

Name
Email
viewpoints affiliation info

Start airing Viewpoints Radio on your platform to satisfy FCC OPIF requirements, including quarterly issues/programming reports.

Become an Affiliate

Connect

Interact with us by sharing comments, favorite segments, questions or even suggest a topic.

  • Facebook link
  • Twitter
  • Instagram link
  • Pinterest link
  • spotify link
  • YouTube link
  • RSS Feed
  • contact by email

American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) logo

Listen

  • Archive
  • Broadcast
  • Guests
  • Podcast & Digital Outlets
  • Recently Aired
  • Taxonomies
  • Topics
  • Ways to Listen

Learn

  • About Us
  • Affiliates
  • Contact Info
  • FAQ
  • Our Team
  • Public Affairs & FCC Requirements
  • AURN.com
  • Sitemap

Copyright © 2024 – American Urban Radio Networks | All Rights Reserved

↑ Return to top

Viewpoints Radio Newsletter Signup

Stay up-to-date on the latest in current events, public affairs, literature, culture, entertainment & more.

Subscribe to get the latest from Viewpoints Radio directly in your inbox.

viewpoints radio logo
Name
[email protected]