Sea level rise is one of the most important environmental issues today because it is real, plainly visible, is happening NOW all over the world, and is already adversely affecting millions of people. It is also going to get much worse. Let’s get back to science for a moment. We have already presented articles addressing various positions on climate change denial. So, just for a moment, let’s assume you do not believe that humans are responsible for climate change and the corresponding rise in global temperatures. Irrespective of WHAT or WHO may be responsible, are you seeing with your own eyes changes in weather patterns or events? How about the continuous encroachment of the seas and oceans upon the land? Have you watched houses in California and North Carolina falling into the ocean because the beaches and cliffs have completely eroded? Have you seen sunny day flooding in Miami where the weather is perfectly dry, but flooding is still occurring at the higher tides? All these changes will continue, and as the earth gets warmer, the seas will continue rising. Therefore, irrespective of what you believe about climate change, we, as human beings around the globe, are going to have to adapt to our new reality one way or another. We have already written about melting glaciers and ice sheets as tremendous contributors to sea level rise. If you haven’t yet read our articles, please do. It will give you a better perspective of what we will be discussing on sea level rise. Besides melting glaciers, seawater expands because of rising global temperatures. So, please join me as we take a closer look.
There are a lot of scientists around the world who are studying sea level rise in one form or another. There are also many different projections on time frames, elevation levels, and likely consequences of the rising waters. But most people can agree that coastal communities and low-lying areas are likely to be the first areas affected. Billions of people around the world live in coastal regions, so flooding due to rising sea levels is a very critical matter. Just in the United States close to 40% of the U.S. population lives in coastal communities. In Florida, the number of people living in coastal communities has doubled since 1950. Sea level is the measurement of sea’s surface height, and satellites now take these measurements by bouncing radar signals off the earth’s surface. These measurements are taken all over the Earth and then averaged out, although some areas are experiencing faster rise than others. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”) stated that sea level rise reached a record high in 2021 and seas are rising faster than any time in the last 2,500 years. Several governmental agencies have predicted that water levels along various coastlines could rise another 25-30 centimeters (10 to 12inches) by 2050. Sea level has already risen 21 centimeters since 1980 but is now rising faster with higher global temperatures.
Most of you have already seen the effects of hurricanes and flooding of rivers, lakes, and seas, in one form or another. The resulting damage is usually front-page news or highlighted on every news channel. The actual weather event is only the beginning of the consequential hardship. I lived through Hurricane Andrew when it hit South Florida on August 16, 1992. The next day, after the hurricane passed through, the areas were unrecognizable. But the major damage from Hurricane Andrew was attributable to its high winds and not flooding. But flooding was certainly a major factor in many other hurricanes. On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Irma, a category four storm at the time, sliced through the middle of the Florida Keys near Big Pine Key with winds greater than 150 m.p.h., and a storm surge greater than eight feet. Nearly everything in its path was destroyed. On September 10, 2017, Hurricane Ian brought devastating storm surges as high as 12 to 18 feet when it hit Florida’s southwest coast including Naples, Fort Meyers, Captiva, and Sanibel. More than 120 people were killed and over 2,500 people were rescued. The floodwaters physically trapped people in their homes or wherever they were when the storm hit. We will be doing many more articles on sea level rise. Follow us.
References:
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/3698672-floods-are-trapping-americans-in-more-ways-than-one/
Bittle, J., (June 2023), The Great Displacement, Simon& Schuster, New York, N.Y.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/09/rising-sea-levels-global-threat/
