Chicago Is Sinking; Experts Point To 'Underground' Climate Change As Reason

Experts noticed that Chicago, a major city in the United States, is already sinking. This phenomenon is being attributed to the deformation of the ground beneath Chicago due to the heat that leakes from the city's underground structures.

(Photo : Pexels/Chait Goli)

A Live Science report warned that this occurrence could be hazardous to cities across the globe.

Alessandro Rotta Loira, lead author of the study, explained the phenomenon of underground climate change wherein the ground is deforming because of temperature variations.

Loira noted that no existing civil structure or infrastructure is designed to survive against these temperature variations.

"Although this phenomenon is not dangerous for people's safety necessarily, it will affect the normal day-to-day operations of foundation systems and civil infrastructure at large," Loira said in an entry posted in Northwestern Now.

The researcher ensured that when studies found that Chicago is sinking, it does not mean that the buildings will suddenly collapse, noting that seeing the effects could actually take some time.

"The consequences for serviceability of structures and infrastructures can be very bad, but it takes a long time to see them. It's very likely that underground climate change has already caused cracks and excessive foundation settlements that we didn't associate with this phenomenon because we weren't aware of it," the study's author explained.

Measure, findings of the study

Led by Loira, the researchers had installed a wireless network of 150 temperature sensors across the Chicago Loop, which is considered as the city's central business district.

They also placed temperature sensors across some rural areas in Illinois so that they can have a comparison.

They found out that the underground temperatures beneath the Chicago Loop are often 18 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius, which is warmer than the temperatures beneath the Grant Park that is distanced from the buildings.

Further, the air temperatures in underground structures such as those in parking garages and subway stations can rise up to 45 degrees Fahrenheit or 25 degrees Celsius, which is higher than the Grant Park ground temperatures.

The researchers, whose study was published in Nature, also used a 3D computer model as they observed how the ground had changed since 1951.

Meanwhile, Professor David Toll, co-director of the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience at Durham University, also said in the Live Science report that the movements of the temperature were not too much of a concern.

"But that is not to say that such temperature changes below other cities, with different ground conditions, could not be potentially problematic," Toll said.

As the increase in temperature is not risky to infrastructure, the experts also see this as a potential opportunity.

They believed that by capturing the waste heat that was emitted underground from subterranean transportation systems, parking garages and basement facilities, the urban planners could actually mitigate the impacts of underground climate change.

They can also reuse the heat into an untapped thermal energy resource.

Experts said the phenomenon could result in ecological issues, including contaminated ground water and health issues.

New York is also sinking

This is not the first instance that a US city is reported to sink as combined weight of New York City buildings may be bringing the metropolis to the ground.

Another Live Science report said this kind of studies help researchers estimate the flood risks in these areas.

Geophysicist Tom Parsons then warned that sea level rise was going to pose flood challenges in New York as well as in other countries.