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3h ago

NASA’s NISAR Maps Mexico City’s Rapid Sinking in Unprecedented Detail

Frequent dual-band radar measurements now give officials a clearer picture to protect strained infrastructure.

FILE - An aerial view of the Xochimilcol canals in Mexico City, Feb. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
FILE - A view of Mexico City as seen from the Iztapalapa neighborhood, April 30, 2020. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
FILE - Cars drive past the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, June 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
FILE - Pedestrians walk past a slightly tilted historic building in downtown Mexico City, June 15, 2016. The city was built on a drained lake bed and many buildings are noticeably tilted, from sinking unevenly into the soft earth over decades or centuries. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Overview

  • The newly released NISAR maps, posted Wednesday, April 29, use radar data from October 25, 2025 to January 17, 2026 to pinpoint sinking across Mexico City with hotspots dropping about 2 centimeters per month.
  • Imagery highlights faster losses near Benito Juárez International Airport and at the Angel of Independence monument, signaling risks for runways, tunnels, roads, and utilities in those zones.
  • Scientists link the long-term drop to the city’s foundation on a drained lakebed and decades of groundwater pumping that compact soft clay-like sediments, which stay compressed and crack buildings, water lines, and metro routes.
  • NISAR is the first satellite with dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar at L- and S-band, revisiting the same ground every 12 days to detect millimeter-scale motion, with open data distributed through the Alaska Satellite Facility.
  • JPL labels the Mexico City products preliminary and notes some color patches are likely noise artifacts that should fade as more passes build a stronger baseline for year-over-year tracking and planning.