Factcheck this: Coastal land is sinking, doubling the potential damage from rising seas

Question

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/12/coastal-land-is-sinking-doubling-the-potential-damage-of-rising-seas.html

Answer 1

Your claim is true. According to a study done by Virginia Tech, 24 of the 32 coastal cities in the US are sinking more than 2 millimeters a year, and half of those cities have areas sinking faster than global sea levels are rising. While these numbers don't seem like much, the researchers explained that when combined with the rapid rise in sea level, it culminates in a big change. Furthermore, to help readers better understand the situation, the paper used this analogy: “Imagine you are in that boat with a steady leak, slowly causing the boat to sink. That leak symbolizes sea-level rise or broadly flooding. What would happen if it also starts raining? Even a minor rainfall or drizzle would cause the boat to sink more quickly than you thought it would. That’s what land subsidence does — even imperceptible millimeter land subsidence exacerbates existing coastal hazards.” 

Answer 2

This claim is true based on the study that was done by Virginia Tech and published on the Virginia Tech website. Their March 2024 publication said "This study revealed that 24 of the 32 cities are currently sinking more than 2 millimeters per year and half of those cities are sinking more than global seas are rising." which is mentioned in the CNBC article. They also add that cities are sinking up to 5 millimeters which comes from the original Virginia Tech News article that was published in January of 2024. I found that this study team is funded by NASA. The NASA Earth Observatory had also published an article about it on their website. The sinking being related to human activities is mentioned in the original CBNC article where they state "These dams reduce the supply of sediment to coastal areas and cause them to be sediment-starved. As a result, the land sinks even further." which is reiterated in the publication from the NASA Earth Observatory where they wrote "Some important human-caused drivers that contribute to subsidence include groundwater extraction, the construction of dams and other infrastructure that block the natural flow of sediment that replenishes river deltas, and the drying and compaction of peat soils." (https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/152452/americas-sinking-east-coast). These statements both relate back to the study by Virginia Tech further proving the information stated in the article from CBNC. 

Answer 3

Your claim is true. Coastal land is, in fact, shrinking in size, and there is a major concern about the damage done by rising sea levels. Rising sea levels lead to massive destruction of coastal property, leading to the destruction of massive coastal areas, including cities with many people living in them. CNBC is a valid news source on this issue. An article from Virginia Tech also agrees with this claim.

https://news.vt.edu/articles/2024/01/research-sinkingcoasts.html