New York Seas to Rise Twice as Much as Rest of U.S.

[amyrose2712]

Sea levels around New York City and much of the U.S. Northeast will rise twice as much as in other parts of the United States this century, according to new climate models (U.S. Northeast map).

Driven by changes in ocean circulation, the rapid sea level rise will bring increased risk of damage from hurricanes and winter storm surges, researchers say.

"Some parts of lower Manhattan are only 1.5 meters <5 feet> above sea level," said lead study author Jianjun Yin, a climate modeler at Florida State University.

"Twenty centimeters <8 inches> of extra rise would pose a threat to this region."

Yet New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., area seas will rise 14 to 20 inches (36 to 51 centimeters) by 2100, according to the study, published online today in the journal Nature Geoscience.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090315-new-york-sea-level.html?source=rss
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Must be all us damn libruls!

[Taverner]

1. Christfuck, can NYC catch a break??

With everything that has happened in that city from, oh lets just say 1974 when they went bankrupt - it seems like they just don't get a break

[rrneck]

2. Godzilla's probably next nt

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Goodbye Hamptons!

[AndyTiedye]

4. They Used to Call it "New Amsterdam" for a Reason

Time to start building some dikes, maybe?

[steven johnson]

5. The problem will be the storm surges

When the projected sea level is 0.5 meter compared to the lowest areas of Manhattan being 1.5 meters above sea level, it seems like the problem should be minimal. The problem comes when a storm surge is superimposed on a high tide.

While rare, hurricanes have hit New York City before. The strongest was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak in the Caribbean, which made landfall at Jamaica Bay on Sept. 3, 1821 with a 13-foot storm surge that flooded much of lower Manhattan.

Also, the Category 3 "Great Hurricane of 1938" tore through central Long Island and ripped into southern New England on Sept. 21, 1938. The storm, which killed at least 600 people, pushed a wall of water up to 35 feet high in front of it, sweeping away protective barrier dunes and buildings.

Even an increase of as little as 1.5 inches in normal sea level could contribute to flooding many parts of the city if a Category 3 hurricane were to strike, said Gornitz and fellow researcher Rosemary Rosenzweig. Hurricanes are ranked from 1 to 5, with 5 being the strongest and most destructive.


http://www.livescience.com/environment/061025_nyc_hurricanes.html.