The Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Japan, built on two artificial islands in Osaka Bay, was once hailed as an ...

Cities all over the world, including on the US East and Gulf Coasts, are sinking. This phenomenon, called subsidence, can make extreme flooding worse and damage infrastructure. From New York to ...

Subsidence, often called an "invisible threat," can damage infrastructure and increase flood risks. While some cities show slight uplift, it's negligible and doesn't negate the overall sinking trend.

Groundwater withdrawal was responsible for 80 percent of total subsidence in the cities. As urban areas grow — and as climate change exacerbates droughts, especially in the American West ...

Major U.S. cities are experiencing some degree of subsidence, a.k.a. sinking. It’s not just major coastal cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Houston; landlocked cities like Las Vegas, Denver ...

Note: Land subsidence rate calculated using an average from 2015 to 2021. Sources: Ohenhen, et al. (2025), Mapbox . How land is sinking in U.S. cities. Vertical land motion, in millimeters per year ...

Subsidence threatens 34 million Americans–from Denver to DC. A view of the skyline in downtown Houston, Texas on April 8, 2025. Certain parts of Houston, Texas are sinking by as much as 10 ...

The Jharia coalfield, one of India's largest and most fire-prone coal reserves, has witnessed underground mine fires and ...

More damage from ground subsidence caused by poor water management and drought. This image was taken in May 2024. (Photo by Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images). Anadolu via Getty Images.