Miami is doomed.

[wtmusic]

But you knew that.



"By century's end, rising sea levels will turn the nation's urban fantasyland into an American Atlantis. But long before the city is completely underwater, chaos will begin

...But Hurricane Milo was unexpectedly devastating. Because sea-level­ rise had already pushed the water table so high, it took weeks for the storm waters to recede. Salt water corroded underground wiring, leaving parts of the city dark for months. Drinking-water­ wells were ruined. Interstate 95 was clogged with cars and trucks stuffed with animals and personal belongings, as hundreds of thousands of people fled north to Orlando, the highest ground in central Florida. Developers drew up plans for new buildings on stilts, but few were built. A new flexible carbon-fiber­ bridge was proposed to link Miami Beach with the mainland, but the bankrupt city couldn't secure financing and the project fell apart. The skyscrapers that had gone up during the Obama years were gradually abandoned and used as staging grounds for drug runners and exotic-animal traffickers. A crocodile nested in the ruins of the Pérez Art Museum.

And still, the waters kept rising, nearly a foot each decade. By the latter end of the 21st century, Miami became something else entirely: a popular snorkeling spot where people could swim with sharks and sea turtles and explore the wreckage of a great American city."

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-the-city-of-miami-is-doomed-to-drown-20130620#ixzz2X3h9yNoP

[monmouth3]

1. Thank goodness it's the Perez Art Museum and not the Rubio...n/t

[Voice for Peace]

2. I had some wonderful times in Miami. Hope to go again one day before it's under water.

[bvar22]

3. Miami will have too much water.

Also included...New Orleans, the entire Gulf Coast, and most of the East Coast and Barrier Islands.

OTOH: Anything west of Dallas and south of a line between San Francisco and Denver
will have NO water at all and will look like the Sahara.

So, it all balances out!

[carolinayellowdog]

4. so is my hometown Norfolk, and places in between

The Miami story led me to Google about Norfolk sinking, and the news is pretty dismal. I left that part of Virginia long ago with a bad feeling about its environmental future.

[happyslug]

9. Norfolk is fairely high in attitude, about

In fact when Cornwallis moved into Virginia in 1781, he went to Norfolk for it was defensible, for it was higher then the surrounding lands. Norfolk being on high grounds can be defended even if the attacking forces have more troops. Cornwallis only moved to Yorktown when he was assured he would have additional troops from New York AND the British Fleet. Yorktown is lower then the surrounding land and thus takes more men to hold then to take. The movement of the troops and the fleet was stopped by the French Fleet and Cornwallis was doomed.

While Norfolk is more defensible then Yorktown, it is a lousy base to attack Virginia from, any force has to go south, then west then north (or cross the water). On the other hand Yorktown is an excellent base to attack Virginia from and why Cornwallis went to Yorktown (Followed by McClellan in 1862 and Grant in 1864).

Anyway, with a 7 meter (about 20 feet) sea level rise, Norfolk still would have dry spots, through it would also be mostly under water. See the following map:

http://flood.firetree.net/?ll=36.6159,-76.2034&zoom=9

7 Meters is what is expected if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) collapses, and its collapse is not a question of if, but when. WAIS will collapse some late March (When the Surrounding Ice Shelves are at their minimum) and by Easter, world wide sea levels will be 7 meter higher then it is now.

[grntuscarora]

5. There will still be sharks and sea turtles to snorkle with at century's end?

What an optimist!

[wtmusic]

6. I was thinking the same thing.

In 20-30 years ocean acidification will cause the primary level of the oceanic food chain to collapse: plankton won't be able to survive.

It's anyone's guess what will survive beyond that. I recently saw Dr. Alex Cannara give a talk on this subject, he believes this will be disastrous in inconceivable proportions.

[Javaman]

7. The new Disney attraction - Water World. nt

[limpyhobbler]

8. Thanks but I don't live in Miami so I don't need to worry about this. nt