SciCafe: Sinking Cities
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
7 pm
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Wednesday, April 2, 2025
7 pm
Join us for a timely conversation about one of the most pressing yet overlooked challenges of our time: land subsidence, which is the term for both the gradual settling, or the sudden sinking of Earth’s surface caused by either natural events like earthquakes or erosion or by human activities such as pumping or mining.
In this month’s SciCafe, Manoochehr Shirzaei, associate professor of geophysics and remote sensing at Virginia Tech, and Leonard Ohenhen, postdoctoral research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) at the Columbia Climate School, will explore how land subsidence, on its own and through its interaction with rising sea levels resulting from climate change, is reshaping communities across the globe. The speakers will look at the issue from both global to local scales, with examples from international case studies, the United States, and even New York City.
The discussion will delve into some of the lesser-known but critical impacts of climate change, such as economic and infrastructure vulnerabilities and disparities in how communities experience these changes. Learn how land subsidence, rising sea levels, and water management issues intertwine with climate challenges, and discover innovative strategies for adaptation and resilience.
Resources for SciCafe’s Frequent Geeks
Quick Pick: Land Subsidence
Big Bite: Disappearing Cities on US Coasts
Deep Dive: Slowly but Surely: Exposure of Communities and Infrastructure to Subsidence on the US East Coast