A new study by Tulane University suggests some levees in New Orleans are sinking despite millions of dollars spent on infrastructure improvements since Hurricane Katrina.
Using satellite radar data, researchers found that some flood walls and the ground around them are sinking at more than an inch a year.
They say that, along with already low elevation, groundwater extraction and rising sea levels, makes the city more likely to flood.
The news comes almost 20 years after Katrina devastated the Gulf South, specifically New Orleans, following multiple levee breaches.
Professor Mead Allison said the information they uncovered could hopefully offer important insights for flood protection efforts moving forward.
“It’s not like the entire city is subsiding. It’s this patchwork, and trying to figure out why these specific areas around New Orleans are subsiding is the interesting science question for us,” said Allison.
To read the entire study, which was published in the journal Science Advances, click here.
READ MORE:Tulane study finds some levees in New Orleans are sinking
