Beachfront high-rises in Miami that house thousands of residents and tourists are sinking at rates that surprised experts. Researchers found 35 luxury buildings in Surfside, Bal Harbour, Miami Beach, and Sunny Isles sank between 2016 and 2023 in a process called subsiding, the Miami Herald reports. Some sank by eight-tenths of a inch, while others sank more than 3 inches, according to a study published Friday in Earth and Space Science. “Almost all the buildings at the coast itself, they’re subsiding,” said Falk Amelung, a geophysicist who was the study’s senior author. “It’s a lot.”

It’s been known high-rise buildings settle by as much as several tens of centimeters during and immediately after construction, reports the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science—whose scientists conducted the study. But they found out the settling can go on for years. Experts aren’t sure of the implications, but several told the Herald this calls for more research and on-site inspections. The sinking could indicate that the rise in sea levels is accelerating the erosion of the limestone on which the area is built. Greenhouse gas emissions are driving the rise.

Researches began by looking at whether such sinking was behind the 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers in Surfside, deciding it wasn’t. But they found subsidence at other beachside buildings nearby. Sinking doesn’t always lead to structural problems. “Sometimes it can be dangerous, sometimes not—it will have to be evaluated,” said Shimon Wdowinski, a geophysicist at Florida International University. Researchers from other universities used other data and methods to validate the study’s findings. (More study stories.)

Just north of Miami sits a string of barrier islands home to some of the most lavish luxury condos on the planet. But that may not be the case for much longer if Mother Nature has anything to say about it. Many of those structures are sinking at an “unexpected” rate, according to a new study—including the 641-foot tall Porsche Design tower.

Opened in 2014, the Porsche Design Tower was the first automaker-branded residence in the city—and one of the first buildings anywhere in the world with a car elevator. It has since spawned competitors like the 818-foot Aston Martin skyscraper just down the road, with other automaker residences soon to pop up from brands like Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, and even Pagani.

But now, some of those companies may want to give their skyscrapers a second thought.

A new study from the University of Miami shows that 35 buildings along Sunny Isles Beach and the surrounding coastal areas have sunk by as much as three inches between 2016 and 2023. That includes the Porsche Design Tower, the Ritz-Carlton Residences, and both Trump Towers, among others. This comes less than four years after a 12-story residential tower collapsed in Surfside, Florida, just a few miles down the street.

“Almost all the buildings at the coast itself, they’re subsiding,” Falk Amelung, a geophysicist at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science and the study’s senior author, said in an interview with the Miami Herald. “It’s a lot.”

Photo by: Porsche

Researchers looked at satellite imagery that can measure subsidence (or, sinking land) down to fractions of an inch. In this case, researchers discovered subsidence ranging from 0.8 to just over 3 inches in places like Sunny Isles Beach and Surfside. Two buildings in Miami Beach—the Faena Hotel and the L’atelier condo—and one in Bal Harbour were also affected.

For now, experts say the sinking isn’t necessarily cause for alarm. No structural issues have been reported to any of the buildings thus far, and many newer buildings—like the Porsche Design Tower, which is just 10 years old—naturally sink into the soil years after completion due to their weight.

But researchers are keeping an eye on the situation nevertheless.