by Northwestern University investigating the effects of warming underground temperatures in urban areas. With a 3-D computer model and data from 150 temperature sensors installed across the Loop by Northwestern researchers, the study was able to locate deformities caused by underground climate change.
In Chicago, the ground is filled with clay, which Rotta Loria said can contract as temperatures increase, just like other soil types. So as the temperatures increase, it's causing building foundations in the city to undergo"unwanted settlement, slowly but continuously." Northwestern installed temperature sensors in the basements of buildings, subway tunnels, underground parking garages, and subsurface streets like Lower Wacker Drive. The team also buried sensors in Grant Park, away from buildings and underground transportation systems.