Study Gauges Meadowlands Sea-Level Rise

Scientists are setting up monitoring stations throughout the Meadowlands to chart rising sea levels and prepare for flooding that could result from global warming.

Information gathered from the seven stations will eventually show which marshes, neighborhoods and business areas are most susceptible to rising waters.

Water levels in the Meadowlands have risen on average 1.7 to 1.8 millimeters each year for the last 15 years, said Francisco Artigas, director of the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute.

“It will only continue unless we reduce our carbon emissions,” Artigas said.

The stations, the first in North Jersey, will also be networked with the U.S. Geological Survey, which is measuring sea levels along the east coast.

Red Orbit