Browsing: Rising Sea Levels

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Network of Currents in Atlantic Breaking Down

The crucial network of currents in the Atlantic, including the Gulf Stream, is slowing down, and is now the weakest it’s been in more than 1,000 years, according to a new study published in the British journal Nature Climate Change. The slowdown is reaching a tipping point with dramatic consequences, including a more rapid rise in sea levels along the east coast of the United States, colder temperatures in Europe, reduced rainfall in parts of Africa, and even more monsoons in the tropics. The study looked at the circulation patterns of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, the conveyer…

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New Proposal: 20-Foot Seawall To Protect Miami

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has written the draft of a new proposal calling for a $6 billion, 20-foot-high wall in downtown Miami to protect it from storm surges and rising sea levels. Most of the wall would be inland, separating neighborhoods, but a one-mile stretch would be built in front of the financial section along Brickell Blvd. The proposal is still in its early stages, and any construction is at least five years off. But the idea of a massive sea wall cutting across Biscayne Bay has already drawn some criticism. “The $40 billion in assets you’re trying…

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Massive New Study: Ocean Temperatures Rising Faster Than Expected

Here’s a thorough and important story from The New York Times about a new scientific analysis showing that ocean temperatures are warming much faster (up to 40 percent faster) than had been previously predicted, with serious implications for marine life, sea levels and future hurricanes: Scientists say the world’s oceans are warming far more quickly than previously thought, a finding with dire implications for climate change because almost all the excess heat absorbed by the planet ends up stored in the waters. A new analysis, published Thursday in the journal Science, found that the oceans are heating up 40 percent faster…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
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On Watch

New UN Report on Global Warming: “Quite a Shock.” If Temperatures Keep Rising, Say Goodbye to Coral Reefs, the Maldives By Peter A. Janssen The United Nations just released a major report on global warming, painting a darker picture of the consequences of rising temperatures than scientists had previously thought. The report, by hundreds of scientists around the world and endorsed by 180 nations, “is quite a shock,” said Bill Hare, the author of earlier Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports and a physicist. The consequence are particularly dire for coral reefs, which are vital to supporting ocean life. Warmer…

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New Report: Ice Melting Faster Than Ever in Antarctic, Sea Level Rising

Ice is melting faster in the Antarctic than scientists had predicted. Indeed, the ice sheet is melting an a rapidly increasing rate, and has tripled in just the past ten years. This ice melt has poured more than 200 billion tons of ice into the ocean each year. It also has raised sea levels half a millimeter each year. These are the basic findings of a new study by a team of 80 Antarctic experts from 14 countries, as reported in The Washington Post. The scientists are worried about rising sea levels in low-lying cities and communities if the rate…

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Fast Growing Crack in Antarctic Ice Shelf Will Soon Create One of Largest Icebergs Ever

A crack in the Antarctic ice shelf, now more than 100 miles long and two miles wide, may soon break off, creating one of the largest icebergs ever recorded. And it is growing quickly, increasing 17 miles in the last two months, and the length of five football fields a day. Since the ice is already floating, its separation won’t raise sea levels. But the glaciers behind it will then melt more quickly, and that will add to a rise in global sea level. And because of warming temperatures, other large amounts of ice in West Antarctica could be vulnerable…