NASA Satellite Reveals Just How Fast Mexico City Is Sinking

Key Points:

• Mexico City is sinking at an alarming rate of nearly 10 inches (about 25 centimeters) per year due to extensive groundwater pumping and urban development on an ancient lake bed, as revealed by new NASA satellite imagery.
• The subsidence, which has caused visible tilting of historic buildings like the Metropolitan Cathedral, threatens critical infrastructure including the subway, drainage, water systems, housing, and streets.
• NASA's NISAR satellite, a joint project with the Indian Space Research Organization, captured real-time surface changes between October 2025 and January 2026, highlighting subsidence rates of up to 0.78 inches (2 centimeters) per month in areas such as the main airport.
• The data from NISAR offers unprecedented detail for monitoring land subsidence and is expected to help scientists and officials develop long-term mitigation strategies, with hopes to eventually measure changes on a building-by-building basis.
• After years of limited government action, recent water crises have prompted increased funding for research, with officials relying on satellite data to better understand and address the ongoing sinking problem.