Rising Seas Likely to Flood U.S. History
Ultimately, rising seas will likely swamp the first American settlement in Jamestown, Va., as well as the Florida launch pad that sent the first American into orbit, many climate scientists are predicting.
In about a century, some of the places that make America what it is may be slowly erased.
Global warming — through a combination of melting glaciers, disappearing ice sheets and warmer waters expanding — is expected to cause oceans to rise by one meter, or about 39 inches. It will happen regardless of any future actions to curb greenhouse gases, several leading scientists say. And it will reshape the nation.
Rising waters will lap at the foundations of old money Wall Street and the new money towers of Silicon Valley. They will swamp the locations of big city airports and major interstate highways.
[…]
Few of the more than two dozen climate experts interviewed disagree with the one-meter projection. […] “It’s going to happen no matter what — the question is when.”
Here’s is what a number of US cities can expect.
And then, looking a little further out, oh, say, 250 million years, here’s what we find (for different reasons, of course):
For anyone living near the coast or with friends or family near the coasts, check out this link. Pick your location and it will show you what land will end up under water by how much the sea rises.
http://flood.firetree.net/?ll=43.3251,-101.6015&z=13&m=7
TIHZ_HO,
I also hadn’t heard of glaciers melting that fast. I’m not quite sure I believe it yet. There are too many other docs showing that the warming we are experiencing now is much faster than any that came before. Perhaps if I see more such papers, I’ll reconsider.
I’d also point out that I’m reading a lot of data showing that the current warming trend will put the coming temperatures above any seen within the last million years, putting the expected temperature above any seen since the evolution of homo sapiens.
It’s true that the planet was warmer 55 million years ago. But,. we didn’t live through that. In fact, it wasn’t until the earth cooled quite a bit after that that evolution was able to replenish the numbers of species that had been here prior to the comet that took out the non-avian dinos. So, there’s no evidence one way or the other for whether we could survive the expected temps.
Further, since 70% of the planet’s surface is water, and water loses the ability to hold oxygen as it warms, extending the tropical temperatures to much higher latitudes will cause a huge reduction in the amount of live in the oceans, which are, as noted, the bulk of the planet’s surface. So, this will be a huge reduction in multicellular life on this planet. (Note where the rich waters on the planet are today and imagine them in a part of the planet that is much narrower than the wide middle of the planet. Pushing the rich waters toward the narrower poles reduces life.)
A billion people today rely on seafood for the bulk of their protein. I know you think that aquaculture can replace this. But, I don’t see how 30% of the surface of the planet will make up for the other 70%. Further, we are already seeing a reduction in grain production due to global warming and widespread desertification. As we continue to exhaust our aquifers and top soil, what will make up for the growing regions lost?
If you claim the arctic will do so, remember that the enormous lakes in the arctic are there because there is a watertight seal of permafrost below. As the permafrost melts, the lakes will seep away leaving the arctic a warmer desert. This will not increase grain production. What will feed the fish in the aquaculture you expect? What will provide the caloric content for humanity? Certainly, the planet will not sustain 6 billion people. How many people will the planet support sustainably? How many other species will die in the continuation of the sixth great extinction that is already in progress? What condition do we want to leave the biosphere in when we leave?
Funny thing Mr. Fusion. At 7m+, most of Manhattan is still above water. This must be ignoring the effects of the first big Noreaster that comes along during high tide. It must also be ignoring what happens to the subway. Or, will that be the Broadway, 7th Ave, and Lexington Ave Rivers?
Animals are 90% water.
Perhaps we can offset the rising sea levels by cloning tons of new thirsty animals to drink the excess water.
Another benefit is that we will have more water for canals. With the declining price of water, canals construction becomes more affordable.
And — as we all know — canals allow water-based transportation, the cheapest type of cargo transportation. The global economy will boom!
Yes, some cities will go below sea level, but many yearn to live in interesting times. For years, they have searched for the lost city of Atlantis — to no avail.
But in 50 years, we will have new lost cities — like the lost city of Atlanta and the lost city of Boston. Imagine the tourism potential, since we will know in advance where these cities are!
And we know the effects of rising sea levels:
Rising sea levels = more coastline = more fishing = profit!
#35 – hmeyers,
Please tell me this is a complete and utter joke.
1) Animals are 70% water, or at least human animals are, some may have other percentages.
2) Few animals can drink salt water from the oceans.
3) Rising sea levels shrink the coast rather than grow it. Coastlines would be maximal at roughly 50% of the earth’s surface each for land and water. Though irregular coastlines help. Since we have 70% of the surface of the planet covered in water now, reducing land reduces coast.
4) We’re not talking about canals here. We’re talking about oceans. There’s already really just one big interconnected ocean. I don’t see how increasing its size improves traffic on it.
What makes you say the planet cannot sustain 6 billion when China is managing 1 billion on its Eastern one third? Bangladesh has more than 100 million in an area smaller than Texas?
#37 – Think more globally. Where is the food and other resources coming from? Is the topsoil being depleted? How about the aquifers?