Radar Satellite Maps the Sinking of New Orleans
The sinking city of New Orleans in unprecedented detail - the red spots represent the areas sinking the fastest.
Image source: NewScientist / Falk Amelung / University of Miami
Image source: NewScientist / Falk Amelung / University of Miami
Roxanne Khamsi writes on NewScientist:
On the eve of the official start of the North Atlantic hurricane season, the most detailed map to date revealing how New Orleans is sinking has been published.More here:
The image, generated from radar satellite data, shows some areas of the city – devastated by the floods caused by Hurricane Katrina – are sinking by more than 20 millimetres per year. In some areas, this lowering could explain some of the levee breaching that occurred during the hurricane, the researchers say.
The newly generated map could influence the way New Orleans is rebuilt in the wake of the hurricane, although some experts caution that since it only uses data from the last three years, it does not provide a perspective on long-term subsidence.
For years, scientists have known that New Orleans and its surrounding region are sinking, thanks to on-the-ground measurements using manmade reference points, many of which rest along highways.
posted by Fergie @ 5/31/2006 10:56:00 AM
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