Posted on 12/21/2014 5:25:36 AM PST by raybbr
SAN FRANCISCO — Major U.S. coastal cities, including Washington, D.C. and Wilmington, North Carolina, have already slipped past a sea level rise-related “tipping point,” and into a new era of increasingly common and damaging coastal flooding events, a new study found.
Other cities along the East and Gulf Coasts are following close behind, with the majority of coastal areas in the U.S. expected to see 30 or more days of “nuisance-level flooding” each year by 2050, regardless of how significantly countries cut emissions of the greenhouse gases that are causing global warming, according to the study.
The study defines this flood frequency as the "tipping point" in the local flood regime, with major implications for the management of coastal roads and critical infrastructure located close to sea level, since there will be far less time for repairs between floods.
Nuisance-type flooding is defined as flooding to a height of between 1 to 2 feet above local high-tide levels. Such floods, the study said, are now five to 10 times more likely today than they were just 50 years ago.
Miami Flooding
A cyclist and vehicles negotiate heavily flooded streets as rain falls on Sept. 23, 2014, in Miami Beach, Florida. Certain neighborhoods regularly experience flooding during heavy rains and extreme high tides.
Although the term “nuisance floods” may connote minor flooding with little reason for concern, the impacts of repetitive floods should not be underestimated, the study’s lead author, William Sweet of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told reporters at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Thursday.
“It’s an emerging flooding crisis,” Sweet, an oceanographer with NOAA’s National Ocean Service, said.
(Excerpt) Read more at mashable.com ...
The sea level is not rising. The land is slipping toward the ocean by continental drift.
...and locally sea level is rising as currents shift (as they continuously do).
...and there is some sea level rising, as there has been whenever we recover from ice ages.
The biggest issue? We now build permanent buildings and can’t just shift them back from the waters edge.
I’m going to need taller (barn) boots (if I keep reading stories like this...).
Occasional flooding, once considered normal, is now treated as a harbinger of doom.
I'm thinking something connected to a joystick with select fire mounted to the rooftop. .50 cal would be nice.
Every time I watch the aerial opening sequences of CSI Miami, I marvel at the coming destruction. While the high rises are firmly anchored on deep pile foundations and may have limited damage, the tons and tons of waterfront private residences are doomed
The cat 5 striking Miami will be devastating beyond measure. The Sandy destruction of fool’s houses on Staten Island will be trivial compared to the certain devastation in Miami
Andrew Freedman (author) must be an idiot...
It took me all 30 seconds to check the rainfall patterns in Florida for September...
Way above average...
Rising sea levels and rain falls have nothing in common except both are wet...
Will they fill the bags with Pork?
Me too..the sea level might flood NYC by 2500...
Exactly!
I lived inb that area in the 60s, and more times than nbot, there were flooded streets in Alexandria in the spring, sometimes the Watergate complex would have water in their parking deck.
The Potomac (somewhat a tidal estuary at DC) would flood low areas often enough it only made a casual mentionb in the local news.
But, of course, we didn’t suffer from globull warming back then. /s
POWYC ping
The government “worker”, sweet, should be fired immediately for crisis-baiting and ignorance.
Second part are why are mortgages issued on the properties?
LOL. Washington, D. C. is about as close to the ocean as Sacramento, CA, is.
What, with D.C. right on the coast of...., right on the coast of....right on the coast of....?
Does this mean that these cities will tip over and sink into the ocean?
Good news. The article says it is now too late and any further attempts to cut carbon emissions will be useless.
So we are now agreed that crippling the economy by giving up energy production is pointless.
If a guy could find any 22LR it might be fun to sit on a hill and shoot the rats as they run out of a flooding D.C.
Merry Christmas
FMCDH(BITS)
Sorry about all the poorly spelled words. I did proof read it, but I am NOT a morning person.
DC disappear under the waves ?
Do I have time to set up a beer and popcorn concession, bleachers, and luxury boxes on the Virginia side ???
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