Hawaiian Seabirds Vulnerable to Sea-Level Rise on Low-Lying Atoll
The Hawaiian Islands’ largest atoll, French Frigate Shoals, is key to understanding how seabird nesting habitat will change with predicted rising sea levels, according to a team of U.S. Geological Survey biologists.
Seeping Arctic Methane Has Serious Implications for Florida Coastline
The more the ice cap melts, the more methane is released into the atmosphere, and the more the climate warms. This phenomenon causes sea levels to rise, which is particularly problematic along the flat Florida coastline, where a 1-foot rise in sea level could cause anywhere from 10 to 100 feet of shoreline retreat..
Shoot the Messenger: Carolina’s Costly Mistake on Sea Level Rise
The North Carolina Senate has approved legislation that would prohibit the state from considering projected sea level increases in its coastal management strategy. But a scientist involved in the debate argues that ignoring these projections will wind up costing North Carolina — and the rest of the U.S. —far more.
The Hidden Impact of Sea-Level Rise
Current projections may be underestimating the consequences of secondary effects from sea-level rise on habitat loss, and the distribution of mammals due to the relocation of human refugees into the hinterland.
Senate Panel Approves Sea-Level Rise Bill, North Carolina
Unfazed by a heavy barrage of worldwide criticism and outright ridicule by sources ranging from Scientific American to the “Colbert Report,” the N.C. Senate’s Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources Committee approved a new version of a bill that restricts the use of scientific modeling in state and local public policy and regulations to predict future sea-level rise.
The Word: Sink or Swim
Scientists predict an economy-destroying, 39-inch sea level rise, but North Carolina drafts a law to make it eight inches. A comedic depiction of the NC legislators proposal. A short video from The Colbert Report, Comedy Central.
Exceptional Rise in Ancient Sea Levels Revealed
Since the end of the last ice age 21,000 years ago, our planet has seen ocean levels rise by 120m to reach their current levels. These studies have shed new light on the complex relationship between climate, ocean circulation and sea levels.
Stay or go? Some towns are eyeing retreat from sea
Pounded by erosion, some communities hugging California’s shoreline are eyeing a retreat from the sea. There’s a growing acknowledgement that the sea is relentless and erosion will worsen with rising seas fueled by global warming. Up and down the California coast, some communities are deciding it’s not worth trying to wall off the encroaching ocean. Until recently, the thought of bowing to nature was almost unheard of.
A Rising Tide of Willful Ignorance
Since as far back as the Scopes Trial, and probably even Galileo, the debate over science has been at the crux of numerous political and cultural conflicts between progressives and conservatives. Legislative proposal would actually tell scientists which data they can and can’t consider on rising sea levels…