Miami’s barrier islands, known for their numerous tall luxury buildings, are experiencing a concerning trend, with a recent study in Earth and Space Science revealing that around three dozen of these buildings are sinking, Fox reports.
The study identified that 35 luxury condominiums and hotels in Sunny Isles Beach, Surfside, Miami Beach, and Bal Harbour have experienced subsidence in recent years.
The research was conducted by experts from institutions such as the University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University, University of Houston, University of Hanover in Germany, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, and California Institute of Technology.
The study relied on data from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar to analyze the sinking patterns.
Over a period spanning from 2016 to 2023, the high-rises have subsided between 2 to 8 centimeters, according to the researchers.
According to a post from the University of Miami Rosenstiel School on their website, it is common for high-rises to experience “up to several tens of centimeters” of settlement “during and immediately after construction.”
The study indicated that most of the affected condos and hotels were built after 2014.
Senior author Falk Amelung commented, “We found that subsidence in most high-rises slows down over time, but in some cases, it continues at a steady rate. This suggests that subsidence could persist for an extended period.”
The study’s authors proposed several potential causes behind the sinking, based on their findings.
The study suggests that the sinking is mainly due to “the gradual reconfiguration of the sand grains into a denser packing within sandy layers interbedded in the limestone” in the region.
Other factors that may contribute to the sinking include vibrations from construction, groundwater flow, daily tidal movements, and stormwater injection, according to the researchers.
Lead author Farzaneh Aziz Zanjani expressed surprise at the extent of the subsidence hotspots along the South Florida coastline, stating, “The discovery of the extent of subsidence hotspots along the South Florida coastline was unexpected. The study underscores the need for ongoing monitoring and a deeper understanding of the long-term implications for these structures.”
Miami-Dade County, the broader area where these islands are located, had a population of nearly 2.7 million people as of July 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau reported that more than 27.2 million people visited the area last year.
{Matzav.com}