A powerful satellite deployed by NASA is capable of capturing and measuring underground activity, including the rate at which Mexico City is sinking.
The city, which spans 7,800 square kilometres (3,000 square miles) and is home to roughly 22 million people, has been sinking for over a century. The relentless pumping of groundwater, along with extensive urban development, has depleted the aquifer below the city, causing it to sink.
A joint initiative between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization has seen the launch of a powerful satellite known as NISAR. This satellite can track real-time changes on the planet’s surface, including Mexico City’s subsidence.
NASA’s findings explained
New satellite imagery from NASA has revealed Mexico City is sinking at a rate of roughly 25 centimeters (10 inches) annually.
Enrique Cabral, a researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, has said that imagery from the NISAR satellite, along with the published findings, will allow scientists and officials to address the problem and mitigate the effects.
NASANew data from NISAR shows where Mexico City and its environs subsided. The blue shows the sunken regions.
Paul Rosen, a NISAR scientist, said that recordings made from space also reveal “something about what’s actually happening below the surface.”
“It’s basically documentation of all of these changes within a city,” Rosen continued. “You can see the full magnitude of the problem.”
Moving forward, researchers plan on using the technology to track other issues, including natural disasters such as volcano eruptions, and the effects of climate change in certain regions. Rosen claimed it could be used to bolster inner-city alert systems, and allow for governments to make necessary evacuations.
For more on NASA, check out our coverage of the NASA website’s new feature uses real images of earth to spell your name, or the “tentacled alien” that turned out to be a potato.
How to watch NASA’s Artemis II splashdown live
Ultra rare “doomsday” fish go viral after washing up on Mexican beach and terrifying people
