Radar Eyes on a Sinking City: NISAR Maps Mexico City's Rapid Subsidence

NASA's NISAR radar mission maps Mexico City's ongoing subsidence, showing areas sinking more than 2 cm per month in what is among the fastest rates globally, including near the main airport. The sinking stems from decades of groundwater pumping from an ancient lake bed, causing soil compaction and stress on streets, pipes and monuments like the Angel of Independence. With the water table dropping about 40 cm per year and roughly 40% of water lost to leaks, stopping subsidence would require halting groundwater extraction, a difficult trade-off given the city’s water needs. NISAR’s real-time data offers crucial insight for planning and climate-water risk in a sprawling metropolis.