Prof. DING Xiaoli, Director of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Chair Professor of Geomatics in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, was interviewed by the journal Nature and BBC World Service’s programme “Newshour”, to share his views on issue of land subsidence. Prof. DING pointed out that subsidence is a problem in many parts of the world. He said that, in cities such as Macao and Hong Kong where no groundwater is used, subsidence mainly comes from consolidation — downward movement as a result of soil being compressed — after land reclamation.
A paper recently published in Science suggested that some 16% of the mapped area of China’s major cities is sinking rapidly, and one in ten residents of China’s coastal cities could be living below sea level within a century. Prof. Ding said that the study provides an interesting snapshot of the situation in China, and crucially links the issue to the populations affected.
Online coverage:
Nature - https://polyu.me/4b2VFE5
BBC World Service - https://polyu.me/3xKqaQY (45:05 - 49:05) (registration required)
Jandan - https://polyu.me/3U8hueF
| Research Units | Research Institute for Land and Space |
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