{"id":44611,"date":"2026-10-14T11:00:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T09:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/resoilfoundation.org\/articles\/mappa-globale-subsidenza\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T16:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T14:08:15","slug":"land-subsidence-global-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/resoilfoundation.org\/en\/environment\/land-subsidence-global-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Land subsidence: a global map reveals where the ground is sinking and why"},"content":{"rendered":"

A study published in Nature Cities examines land subsidence in 465 cities across 107 countries. Often driven by excessive groundwater extraction, sinking land threatens buildings and infrastructure and increases vulnerability to flooding. But in some cities, subsidence is slowing down, showing that effective action is possible<\/h2>\n

by Emanuele Isonio<\/p>\n

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The ground beneath our feet is not as stable as it might seem. It can sink slowly<\/strong>, by just a few millimetres each year, without anyone noticing. Yet over the decades, these small movements can turn into a major problem<\/strong>: cracked buildings, deformed roads, damaged infrastructure and neighbourhoods increasingly exposed to the risk of flooding<\/a>. This phenomenon is known as land subsidence<\/a><\/strong>, one of the least visible but potentially most serious processes affecting urban areas worldwide.<\/p>\n

A new study published in the scientific journal Nature Cities<\/a><\/em> provides a global picture of the phenomenon, analysing vertical ground movements in 465 cities across 107 countries. Using satellite observations, researchers reconstructed how land subsidence evolved between 2014 and 2023<\/strong>, identifying not only areas where the ground is sinking, but also those where the process is accelerating or slowing down.<\/p>\n

The result is an interactive map<\/a> that helps illustrate how human activities can alter underground conditions and, above all, why understanding these processes is essential to making cities more resilient<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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The interactive map shows the extent and rate of land subsidence in all the cities analysed in the study. SOURCE: Lijun Wang, Zurui Ao, Shengli Tao, Xie Hu e altri – A global view of urban land subsidence and its changing trajectories, Nature cities, 2026.<\/p><\/div>\n

From Mexico to Asia: where the ground is sinking fastest<\/h5>\n

The study, led by researchers from Peking University and South China Normal University, used Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR)<\/strong>, a satellite-based technique capable of detecting ground movements of just a few millimetres. The resulting maps have a spatial resolution of approximately 40 metres and cover cities with populations exceeding one million.<\/p>\n

The most critical situations<\/strong> are concentrated in Southeast Asia<\/strong>, west-central Asia and parts of North America. Particularly significant examples include Mexico City and Medan, Indonesia, where sinking land poses a serious threat<\/strong> to urban safety.<\/p>\n

However, the phenomenon is not limited to major cities already known for their subsidence problems. Researchers also identified significant ground movements in relatively understudied regions, including South America, Africa and Russia. This geographical distribution shows that land subsidence is not confined to specific climatic conditions or levels of economic development.<\/p>\n

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Land subsidence threatens 2 billion people<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n