[KaiserJeep]

Rising Tides explores the topic of coastline erosion, showing what has been done in the past, what is being done now, what worked, what didn't and what the coastal areas can expect in the future. Through interviews with scientists, experts, nonprofits, homeowners, government officials, and other groups offering possible solutions Rising Tides explores all angles of this threatening issue.

Sorry for the bad news, but there is no distribution other than streaming over the Internet. If you have Amazon Prime membership, it's free.

https://www.amazon.com/Rising-Tides-DR-BENJAMIN-STRAUSS/dp/B01H7QOFKU/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1473037390&sr=1-1&keywords=Rising+Tides

Worth 88 minutes of your time.


I know it's popular to blame AGW for sea level change, but undeniably during a glacial climate phase, vast amounts of water are locked in ice, and things like the Bering Sea land bridge exist. Then the ice melts and the oceans rise. As the OP, I declare this thread is about the facts of SLC, and not about speculation as to the cause. Discussions of AGW and CC are off-topic in this thread.

[rockdoc123]

I think this is a good topic. Sea level is rising even when you look at the tide gauge data (but at a very low rate), as you say to be expected given we are still in an inter-glacial period. So what is the mitigation and where is it necessary? Obviously places like Alaska and some of the west coast of North America aren't a worry in general given they are rising due to tectonic isostasy. The main problem areas to my mind are the SE coastal areas which have natural subsidence due to geologic reasons layered on top of average sea level rise. This is where response needs to be focussed. We saw that during Katrina, much of New Orleans is already in trouble and has been for hundreds of years, it doesn't take much rise to create a problem. Other coastal areas are much less at risk for various reasons.

[KaiserJeep]

The USA has already got land below the present sea level. Everything from New Orleans with several parishes (i.e. counties) about -2m behind the levees, to the Salton Sink in California (a large area that varies from -3m to -70m) to Death Valley which is at -85m.

The MidWest does not vary much in altitude over geological ages. If the sea rises anywhere near the level of the prior inter-glacials, we could (absent the works of mankind) again have a large shallow inland sea over the Great Plains - in say 200 years. Several US states would no longer exist above the water.

Nor is the USA the worst off. Engineers have proposed a massive dam at Gibraltar whose purpose is to preserve the present coastlines of the Mediterranean basin.

[rockdoc123]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he USA has already got land below the present sea level. Everything from New Orleans with several parishes (i.e. counties) about -2m behind the levees, to the Salton Sink in California (a large area that varies from -3m to -70m) to Death Valley which is at -85m.

[KaiserJeep]

The last inland sea was mostly West of the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains, much of that area is higher that it was then. The new areas at risk are in the lower Mississippi basin, approximately from mid-Illinois South to the GOM. There is enough rainfall in wet years to make the Northern extremes of that enormous area brackish water versus salty sea water.

To be fair, we are talking about centuries here. Nobody is likely to make plans for that time period.

[GHung]

Maybe we should drill a big tunnel from the Pacific coast to Death Valley; fill it up and buy ourselves a millimeter or two

While we're at it, put some big turbines in that tunnel and harvest tidal energy.

[SeaGypsy]

Would likely change the weather dynamic throughout the region. There has been such discussion regarding salt lakes in southern central Australia, Japan one offered to do the engineering for free, environmental arguments prevented the event. Given likely rainfall increase around the new inland seas, potentially New agriculture areas would be created, new fishing grounds. I'm neither for or against, but interested for sure.

[Subjectivist]

Just watched this. Seems to me it started out pretty strong, but the last half hour was about socializing the costs for all the bad construction choices of the last 30 years and continuing on into the future the same way.

[jedrider]

I don't see how you can separate the topics of AGW and SLR. The latter will accelerate greatly because of the former. How society bears the cost of this is a GOOD question, however. The benefits will, of course, be short-lived precisely because of AGW. (I don't have an Amazon Prime membership, so I'm not going to watch the video).

[KaiserJeep]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jedrider', 'I') don't see how you can separate the topics of AGW and SLR. The latter will accelerate greatly because of the former. How society bears the cost of this is a GOOD question, however. The benefits will, of course, be short-lived precisely because of AGW. (I don't have an Amazon Prime membership, so I'm not going to watch the video).

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KaiserJeep', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jedrider', 'I') don't see how you can separate the topics of AGW and SLR. The latter will accelerate greatly because of the former. How society bears the cost of this is a GOOD question, however. The benefits will, of course, be short-lived precisely because of AGW. (I don't have an Amazon Prime membership, so I'm not going to watch the video).

[jedrider]

It's really simple:

Manhattan will become just like a Venice.

Florida will be left to the alligators.

Boston will move inland to higher ground.

Beachfront property will be portable.

[KaiserJeep]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tanada', '-')snip-
Seems to me the choice pragmatically speaking is pretty obvious. Anyone who builds within say 9 feet of sea level is responsible for their losses, not the rest of society. Make that clear and the bulk of dumb building choices would dry up PDQ.

[waterpowerman1]

Something that has been overlooked by our southern facing media is Glacial rebound. Low lying areas and shallow arctic ocean areas that were covered by glaciers in the ice age are rebounding and getting higher. For instance Churchill harbor is rising faster than the ocean. That water has to go somewhere- Florida?. Much of Canada's arctic Islands are rising now without ice cover. This will exaggerate the effect of rising water everywhere else.

[yellowcanoe]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('waterpowerman1', 'S')omething that has been overlooked by our southern facing media is Glacial rebound. Low lying areas and shallow arctic ocean areas that were covered by glaciers in the ice age are rebounding and getting higher. For instance Churchill harbor is rising faster than the ocean. That water has to go somewhere- Florida?. Much of Canada's arctic Islands are rising now without ice cover. This will exaggerate the effect of rising water everywhere else.