Top Posts
African climate change projects secure major funding
Former French PM urges China, Europe to unite...
NDDC, FOSDO launch tree-planting campaign to address climate...
WHO unveils an ambitious blueprint for action on...
New report shows nearly 900 million poor people...
Lagos to Host 2025 International Climate Change Summit
New study shows overheating world will add 57...
NAICOM urges W’African insurers to invest in climate...
Climate change: Nigeria, development partners launch Net Zero...
Nigeria launches net zero project to fight climate...
EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World
World

Study finds underground climate change’ deforming ground beneath buildings

by admineconai July 19, 2023
written by admineconai July 19, 2023
822

A study conducted in Chicago has found that a phenomenon that scientists have called “underground climate change” is deforming the ground beneath cities.

According to the research, the shifting of land under urban areas could pose a problem for buildings and infrastructure, threatening long-term performance and durability.

Underground climate change, which is technically known as “subsurface heat islands, is the warming of the ground under our feet, caused by heat released by buildings and subterranean transportation such as subway systems.

Read also: MPs say less than half of annual tree-planting target in England met

“The denser the city, the more intense is underground climate change,” said lead study author Alessandro Rotta Loria, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

He was also quoted as saying that oil, rocks and construction materials deform when subjected to temperature variations. For example, the ground underneath buildings can contract when heated, causing unwanted settlement.

“Deformations caused by underground climate change are relatively small in magnitude, but they continuously develop,” he said. “Over time, they can become very significant for the operational performance of civil infrastructure like building foundations, water retaining walls, tunnels and so on.”

However, underground climate change is not the same as what we think of as climate change in the atmosphere, which is largely driven by greenhouse gases and has far-reaching effects, said David Archer, a professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago.

“Calling it climate change seems like a bit of a coattail thing,” Archer, who was not involved with the study, said.

The term “underground climate change,” however, was not coined for this study — it has been in use, and the phenomenon a subject of research, for some time.

Story was adapted from CNN.

BuildingsClimate targetGroundUnderground
0 comment 0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
admineconai

previous post
MPs say less than half of annual tree-planting target in England met
next post
Phoenix breaks heat record with 19th day of higher temperatures

Related Posts

Former French PM urges China, Europe to unite...

October 22, 2025

WHO unveils an ambitious blueprint for action on...

October 20, 2025

New report shows nearly 900 million poor people...

October 20, 2025

New study shows overheating world will add 57...

October 16, 2025

Heaviest monsoon in a decade kills 458 people...

October 9, 2025

Council releases first fully electric bin lorry

October 9, 2025

Study shows US asthma inhalers produce same emissions...

October 7, 2025

Pope Leo hits out at climate change critics

October 3, 2025

Protesters seek $5tr payment from fossil fuel companies

October 1, 2025

UN official says climate change displaces up to...

September 30, 2025

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Bloglovin
  • Vimeo

@2021 - All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Eco-Nai+

EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World