HAMPTON, Va. — A new study led by Virginia Tech researchers confirmed Hampton Roads is sinking bit by bit. Specifically, this region is sinking by 2.3 millimeters each year, which is the relative thickness of two pennies stacked against each other.

While it is a very small amount, the effect is cumulative and stacks up year after year.

“If you have lived in your home for a long time and you’ve thought, ‘hey, the high tide looks higher,’ that’s probably not in your head,” said Whitney Katchmark with Hampton Roads Planning Commission.

The data was recently published in Nature Scientific Review and found that the entire Chesapeake Bay region has varying degrees of “subsidence,” or the gradual caving in or sinking of an area of land.

Researchers found there are two main factors behind this: the shifting of tectonic plates, which is unavoidable, and localized groundwater withdrawal.

While it’s unclear how much each factor can contribute to subsidence, researchers like D. Sarah Stamps said the impacts are undeniable.