Mexico City Is Sinking. A Powerful NASA Satellite Just Revealed How Fast
Mexico City Is Sinking. A Powerful NASA Satellite Just Revealed How Fast
墨西哥城正在下沉：NASA 强力卫星揭示其下沉速度
Mexico City is one of the fastest sinking cities in the world. Now, a powerful satellite from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) confirms the accelerated advance of this silent threat that puts nearly 20 million people at risk. 墨西哥城是世界上沉降速度最快的城市之一。如今，美国国家航空航天局（NASA）的一颗强力卫星证实，这一威胁正加速蔓延，使近 2000 万人的生命安全面临风险。
The satellite designed by NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), known as NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), was able to capture with unprecedented precision the magnitude and evolution of this phenomenon in different areas of the Mexican capital. The analysis is based on preliminary measurements taken from space between October 2025 and January of this year, during the dry season in Mexico City. 这颗由 NASA 与印度空间研究组织（ISRO）共同设计的卫星名为 NISAR（NASA-ISRO 合成孔径雷达），它能够以史无前例的精度捕捉到墨西哥首都不同地区这一现象的规模与演变。该分析基于 2025 年 10 月至今年 1 月（墨西哥城旱季期间）从太空获取的初步测量数据。
Their findings were captured in a map that shows how the subsurface of the metropolis is shifting. In the map, NASA identified areas with subsidence greater than 2 centimeters per month (marked in dark blue). The agency specifies that the areas marked in yellow and red could correspond to background signals (or noise) that are expected to diminish as the satellite instrument collects more data. 研究结果被绘制成一张地图，展示了这座大都市地下的位移情况。在地图中，NASA 标出了每月沉降超过 2 厘米的区域（以深蓝色标记）。该机构指出，黄色和红色标记的区域可能对应背景信号（或噪声），随着卫星仪器收集更多数据，这些干扰预计会减少。
The image also highlights the location of Benito Juarez International Airport, located near Lake Nabor Carrillo, which operates in the middle of an area with accelerated subsidence. “Images like this confirm that the NISAR measurements are in line with expectations,” said Craig Ferguson, deputy director of the project. 图像还重点标注了位于纳博卡里略湖（Lake Nabor Carrillo）附近的贝尼托·胡亚雷斯国际机场的位置，该机场正处于沉降加速区的中心地带。项目副主任克雷格·弗格森（Craig Ferguson）表示：“这样的图像证实了 NISAR 的测量结果符合预期。”
Mexico City sits atop the clay and lake bed of ancient Lake Texcoco. NASA explains that this process is a consequence of intense groundwater pumping and the increasing weight associated with urban development. Both factors have caused the compaction of the ancient lake soil for more than a century. 墨西哥城坐落在古特斯科科湖（Lake Texcoco）的黏土和湖床之上。NASA 解释称，这一过程是过度抽取地下水以及城市发展带来的重量增加所导致的后果。这两个因素在过去一个多世纪里导致了古老湖泊土壤的压实。
The phenomenon was first documented in 1925 by engineer Roberto Gayol. Between the 1900s and 2000s, some areas experienced a drop of nearly 35 centimeters per year, causing damage to infrastructure such as the Metro, one of the largest mass transit systems in the Americas. 这一现象最早由工程师罗伯托·加约尔（Roberto Gayol）于 1925 年记录。在 20 世纪至 21 世纪初期间，部分地区的年沉降量接近 35 厘米，导致了地铁等基础设施受损，而地铁正是美洲最大的公共交通系统之一。
A study conducted in 2024 by Dario Solano-Rojas, a remote-sensing specialist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, found that subsidence is not uniform. After analyzing changes in the city’s elevation between 2011 and 2020, the researcher and his team concluded that subsidence rates are highly variable: While some areas register up to 50 centimeters per year, in others the phenomenon is almost imperceptible. 墨西哥国立自治大学遥感专家达里奥·索拉诺-罗哈斯（Dario Solano-Rojas）在 2024 年进行的一项研究发现，沉降并不均匀。在分析了 2011 年至 2020 年间城市海拔的变化后，该研究人员及其团队得出结论：沉降速度差异巨大，有些地区每年沉降高达 50 厘米，而另一些地区则几乎察觉不到。
This creates “differential subsidence,” where the ground sinks unevenly not only across square kilometers or city blocks, but even on a meter scale. When a street, railway, or building sinks differently at one end compared to the other, its stability is compromised. 这造成了“差异化沉降”，即地面不仅在平方公里或街区范围内不均匀下沉，甚至在米级尺度上也存在差异。当街道、铁路或建筑物的一端与另一端的下沉程度不同时，其结构稳定性就会受到威胁。
NASA’s findings support this interpretation. The agency warns that “uneven and seemingly small elevation changes have added up over the decades, fracturing roads, buildings, and water lines.” NASA 的研究结果支持了这一解读。该机构警告称：“几十年来，这些不均匀且看似微小的海拔变化不断累积，导致道路、建筑物和供水管道出现断裂。”
Accurately and continuously monitoring these terrain variations is fundamental for developing public policies and mitigation strategies. In this regard, NASA has demonstrated that its technology can play a key role. 准确且持续地监测这些地形变化，对于制定公共政策和减灾策略至关重要。在这方面，NASA 已经证明其技术可以发挥关键作用。
NASA’s Powerful NISAR Satellite
NASA 强大的 NISAR 卫星
NISAR is a satellite capable of tracking changes on the Earth’s surface in near real time from orbit, overcoming visibility limitations—such as cloud cover or dense vegetation—that affect optical sensors and some conventional radars. NISAR 是一颗能够从轨道近乎实时地追踪地球表面变化的卫星，它克服了云层覆盖或茂密植被等影响光学传感器和某些传统雷达的能见度限制。
According to the agency, this instrument—operational since July 2025—is the first to incorporate two synthetic aperture radars (SARs) at different wavelengths, allowing it to monitor Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days. It also features a cylindrical reflector antenna, 12 meters wide, which facilitates the collection of highly detailed data. 据该机构称，这一自 2025 年 7 月起投入使用的仪器，是首个结合了两种不同波长合成孔径雷达（SAR）的设备，使其能够每 12 天对地球陆地和冰面进行两次监测。它还配备了一个 12 米宽的圆柱形反射天线，有助于收集高度详细的数据。
“Mexico City is a well-known hot spot when it comes to subsidence, and images like this are just the beginning for NISAR. We’re going to see an influx of new discoveries from all over the world, given the unique sensing capabilities of NISAR and its consistent global coverage,” said David Bekaert, project manager at the Flemish Institute for Research in Technology and a member of the science team. “墨西哥城是众所周知的沉降热点地区，像这样的图像对 NISAR 来说仅仅是个开始。鉴于 NISAR 独特的传感能力及其持续的全球覆盖范围，我们将看到来自世界各地的大量新发现，”弗拉芒技术研究所项目经理兼科学团队成员大卫·贝卡特（David Bekaert）表示。
This story first appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish. 本文首发于《连线》西班牙语版（WIRED en Español），由西班牙语翻译而来。