Up to 2cm a month: Nasa keeps track as Mexico City sinks into the ground

"Nisar will see any change big or small that happens on Earth from week to week. No other imaging mission can claim this. Though not the first time that Mexico City's sinking has been observed from space, the Nisar mission has provided a greater sense of how far the sinking spreads and how it changes across different types of land than any other space-based sensor."

"This study of Mexico City speaks to the realm of possibilities that will open up thanks to the Nisar system. And not just for sinking cities but also for studying volcanoes, for studying the deformation associated with earthquakes, for studying landslides."

Mexico City's historic buildings, including the cathedral and National Palace, visibly tilt due to subsidence occurring over more than a century. The Nisar satellite, one of the most powerful radar systems launched into space, tracks this phenomenon in real time by detecting minute changes in Earth's surface through vegetation and cloud cover. Nisar provides greater understanding of subsidence spread and variation across different land types than previous space-based sensors, penetrating previously challenging areas on the city's outskirts. The satellite's capabilities extend beyond Mexico City to studying volcanoes, earthquakes, and landslides, demonstrating broader applications for monitoring Earth's surface deformation.

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