NASA–ISRO Satellite Maps Mexico City Sinking at Centimeter-Per-Month Pace

Overview

• NISAR’s preliminary maps, built from data collected Oct. 25, 2025 to Jan. 17, 2026, show parts of Mexico City sinking faster than 2 centimeters per month.
• NASA links the ongoing drop to heavy groundwater pumping and the weight of urban development, which compress the city’s ancient lakebed and crack roads, buildings, and water lines.
• The joint NASA–ISRO spacecraft flies two radars at different wavelengths on a 12‑meter reflector to see through clouds and vegetation, passing the same spots twice every 12 days.
• Mission staff say the measurements match expectations, and they note that yellow and red patches in the image are likely residual noise that should fade with more observations.
• Subsidence in some districts reached about 35 centimeters per year in the 1990s and 2000s, warping infrastructure and even adding steps to the Angel of Independence, and NISAR’s routine coverage is designed to aid research and fast disaster assessments worldwide.