Quantifying Land Subsidence Impacts in US Metropolises

Vertical land motion (VLM), angular distortion, and building risks for 28 urban cities in the United States. The file also contains supplementary tables 1 to 8.<br>Abstract: Land subsidence is a slow-moving hazard with adverse environmental and socioeconomic consequences worldwide. However, spatially dense subsidence rates to capture granular variations at high spatial density are often lacking, hindering assessment of associated infrastructure risk. We use space geodetic measurements from 2015 to 2021 to create high resolution maps of subsidence rates for 28 most populous US cities. We estimate that at least 20% of the urban area is sinking in all cities, mainly due to groundwater extraction, affecting ~34 million people. Additionally, more than 29,000 buildings are located in high and very high damage risk areas, indicating a greater likelihood of infrastructure damage. These datasets and information are crucial for developing ad hoc policies to adapt urban centers to these complex environmental challenges.