back to article Down and out in the Middle Kingdom: Beijing is sinking

Beijing is one of the most water-stressed cities in the world, and research carried out using satellite interferometry shows one of the side-effects of that: the city is sinking. Not by a trivial amount, either: according to this open-access study in the journal Remote Sensing, the eastern part of the city is subsiding by 100 …

  1. Schultz
    Boffin

    "delicious example of the challenge of science writing in non-metric America"

    The Register should offer their services for proper unit conversion. Obviously neither metric nor imperial units will do for a christian publication: If god wanted humans to measure in feet, he'd have given us more than two to do it.

    The linguine, a naturally regrowing resource that comes in convenient packs of 118, needs to be publicized as convenient god-given measurement unit. Beyond the single linguine unit, the linguine pack lp (118 linguine end-to-end), the linguine width lw and the linguine thickness lt should be used to describe especially large or small objects.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "delicious example of the challenge of science writing in non-metric America"

      > Obviously neither metric nor imperial units will do for a christian publication

      Cubits? (Not the quantum computing variety)

      1. Putters

        Re: "delicious example of the challenge of science writing in non-metric America"

        That looks like something I'd do.

        Being born in 1968* I was taught in both {feet, inches, stones, pounds ounces, pints and gallons} as well as {metres, kilos and litres). So am quite happy to use which ever side of the ruler makes most sense at the time, hence it's far from unusual for me to measure and cut a piece of wood to say 10" x 5cm.

        * 1968 means that I'm of that small group who can't remember spending old pennies etc, but can remember legally spending a sixpence ...

        1. Test Man

          Re: "delicious example of the challenge of science writing in non-metric America"

          I'll tell you what's weird - I was born near the end of the 70s and in the 80s we were taught in metric measurements only. However, I can only visualise things using imperial measurements. Weird, eh?

        2. Alistair
          Coat

          Re: "delicious example of the challenge of science writing in non-metric America"

          Interesting Putters. Leftpondian, only a few years older here. Being Canuck, I've learned Feet, Pounds, Gallons (*both of them*) Quarts, liters metres and kilos. And oddly, Stone, bushels, tons (*both of them*), acres, hectares and about 11 other ways of measuring land area. -- I think our British heritage and unfortunate proximity to them down south gave me the best and worst of both sides of the equation(s).

          I wonder is there a Chinese version of The Tragically Hip?

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: "delicious example of the challenge of science writing in non-metric America"

            You forgot chains and furlongs !

            1. Fungus Bob

              Re: "delicious example of the challenge of science writing in non-metric America"

              Chains and whips is better!

            2. John R. Macdonald

              Re: "delicious example of the challenge of science writing in non-metric America"

              And rods.

  2. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

    They could go for a Chinese version of Venice...

    But seriously, this is not trivial. Engineering can handle this*, but it takes time and a lot of money to do it.

    * Plenty of experience in parts of the world where coal mining was done one a large scale in a densely populated area, like the Ruhrgebiet. Parts of Essen sunk some 20 - 25 metres. In Duisburg they actually utilised this when the harbour was expanded. They let the ground sink and saved a lot of excavating.

    El Reg / Richard: thumbs up for the Cory Doctorow reference!

    1. Mark 85

      There's also quite a few places in the American southwest, Texas, Oklahoma, and Nevada mostly, where the subsidence has been pretty dramatic due to the water table being drained by farming and cities.

      1. Fungus Bob

        Same thing happened with New Orleans - it was once barely above sea level. If they were smart they'd have filled in the hole before rebuilding instead of rebuilding inside it after hurricane Katrina.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    Are you sure it is not just the sheer weight of the population??

    Or possibly the additional stress of coping with the weight of American tourists??

  4. RIBrsiq
    Trollface

    "US Syndrome"...?

    And I am sure I read quite a few narratives of the Chinese invading through the ground!

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge

      "Reverse China Syndrome" would be more accurate.

  5. VinceH

    "I'd swear that hill on my walk to work is getting steeper and steeper!"

    "That's because it is!"

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      You think you had it bad

      "We had to walk ten miles to school, barefoot, in the snow, uphill, both ways"

  6. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Trollface

    What's the problem ?

    Just extract all the water and there will be no more sinking. I'm sure we have the technology to do that - wasting natural resources is our specialty, after all.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Paris Hilton

      Re: What's the problem ?

      And once the water has all gone then the lava lamp industry can move in!

  7. cortland

    http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/24/world/asia/china-sinkhole-problem/

  8. Andy 73 Silver badge

    Not news

    I know one of the guys who was responsible for building the Bangkok underground - where modern subterranean construction takes place, it's normal to allow for movement to occur, even if it means that after a while you have steps down from an underground station exit.

  9. ecofeco Silver badge

    Beijing is not the only one sinking

    Many other major world cities are also sinking.

    Just what did the super geniuses think would happen when you add several million tons of steel and concrete to the scale?

  10. destructo

    Metric, Still?

    I thought with the success of the Leave campaign, those whose address ends in "uk" would now have returned to The Queen's measures. Perhaps in a couple of years...

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    California's central valley

    Is also sinking - reported last year to be sinking at the rate of 2 inches a month due to water extraction from aquifers to irrigate crops in the face of the several year long drought there. Some areas are reportedly 6 to 10 feet lower than they were in the 1930s.

    There's not much construction there, certainly no skyscrapers, so it is all related to water extraction. Personally I doubt the weight of even a city like Beijing has much influence - otherwise you'd see this is in other rapidly built cities like Dubai.

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