Parts of Hawaii are sinking faster than others, according to a recent study led by researchers at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, highlighting the flood risk to infrastructure, businesses and communities in low-lying areas especially in certain urban areas of Oahu.
“Our findings highlight that subsidence (gradual caving in or sinking of an area of land) is a major, yet often overlooked, factor in assessments of future flood exposure,” said Kyle Murray, lead author of the study and researcher with the Climate Resilience Collaborative (CRC) at the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). “In rapidly subsiding areas, sea level rise impacts will be felt much sooner than previously estimated, which means that we must prepare for flooding on a shorter timeline.”
As islands in Hawaii move farther from the hotspot beneath Hawaii Island, they slowly sink due to their own weight…