Overview
- NASA’s NISAR mission, following Wednesday’s public release, showed preliminary maps of Mexico City with zones sinking more than 2 centimeters per month between October 25, 2025 and January 17, 2026, including areas around the Benito Juárez International Airport and former lake beds.
- Scientists tie the drop to heavy groundwater pumping that lowers pore pressure in clay‑rich lake sediments, which then compact under the city’s weight and cause largely irreversible subsidence.
- NISAR is a joint NASA–ISRO radar satellite launched July 30, 2025 that uses two synthetic‑aperture radar bands and a 12‑meter reflector to detect millimeter‑scale ground motion about every 12 days, even through clouds and at night.
- Mission teams call the results early and note some yellow and red patches in the image are likely residual noise that should fade as more passes are combined, which would sharpen hot spots and help target repairs and building rules faster.
- The sinking has real costs for residents as uneven ground breaks water and sewer lines, warps roads and rail, and raises flood risk, a pattern long visible at the Angel of Independence where 14 steps were added as the surrounding ground settled.