Subsidence, as a geoscientific topic, refers to the downward vertical motion or gradual sinking of the Earth’s surface relative to a reference frame such as sea level or the geoid, driven by natural or anthropogenic processes. Mechanisms include tectonic loading and flexure of the lithosphere, sediment compaction, dissolution of soluble rocks (karst), extraction of groundwater or hydrocarbons, and cryospheric thawing of permafrost. Subsidence is quantified using geodetic techniques such as GNSS, InSAR, and leveling, and is modeled through poroelastic, viscoelastic, and flexural frameworks to assess deformation, stress redistribution, and implications for coastal relative sea-level change, infrastructure stability, and basin evolution.
New research shows how the combination of extreme climate events, sea-level rise and land subsidence could create larger and deeper floods in coastal cities in future.
Earth Sciences
Dec 2, 2025
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50
In Arizona's Willcox Basin, just over an hour east of Tucson, fissures are tearing through the earth, wells are running dry, and strange areas are flooding when it rains. The cause is clear. As large agricultural producers ...
Earth Sciences
Nov 6, 2025
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206
Sinking land is quietly destabilizing urban infrastructure in India's largest cities, putting thousands of buildings and millions of people at risk, according to Virginia Tech scientists.
Earth Sciences
Oct 28, 2025
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As global temperatures rise, thermal expansion of oceans and melting ice sheets are driving up sea levels worldwide. In many coastal areas, land subsidence—caused by groundwater extraction and rapid urbanization—further exacerbates ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 29, 2025
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36
Australia's changing climate is shaking things up, literally. New research from the University of South Australia (UniSA) warns that increasingly intense La Niña weather cycles are posing fresh challenges for homeowners, ...
Environment
Sep 11, 2025
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19
A UC Riverside study has found that as land in California's Central Valley sinks due to excessive groundwater pumping, so do local housing values.
Environment
Aug 1, 2025
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591
Parts of New Orleans and its surrounding wetlands are gradually sinking, and while most of the city remains stable, a new study from Tulane University researchers suggests that sections of the region's $15 billion post-Katrina ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 27, 2025
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111
A new study of the 28 most populous U.S. cities finds that all are sinking to one degree or another. The cities include not just those on the coasts, where relative sea level is a concern, but many in the interior. Furthermore, ...
Earth Sciences
May 8, 2025
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89
Coastal sites subsiding at rates of up to 10 mm/year, making them more vulnerable to sea-level rise, have been pinpointed in new high-resolution maps of five major urban centers.
Earth Sciences
Apr 7, 2025
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37
