Sea-Level Rise, Subsidence, and Wetland Loss
A USGS video describes causes of wetland loss in the Mississippi River Delta.
Kiribati: Entire Pacific Nation Could One Day Move to Fiji
Fearing that climate change could wipe out their entire Pacific archipelago, the leaders of Kiribati are considering an unusual backup plan: moving the populace to Fiji.
A North Carolina Lifeline Built on Shifting Sands
Last August, when Hurricane Irene sliced across the Outer Banks, it cut Highway 12, Hatteras Island’s lifeline, in two places. Engineers rushed to repair the damage, but very soon after completion, the winds and waves that shape the coast were already gnawing at the new bridge.
Oldest Arctic Sea Ice is Disappearing
A new study by NASA scientist Joey Comiso has found that the oldest and thickest Arctic sea ice is disappearing at a faster rate than the younger and thinner ice at the edges of the ice cap.
Rising Seas To Have Uneven Consequences For California Beach Towns
There will be winners and there will be losers as Southern California beaches erode unevenly in response to rising sea levels over the next century, according to a new study. Using models to project how climate change would alter the width of the sand, attendance and visitor spending at 51 public beaches in Los Angeles and OC counties, a team of researchers examined the physical and economic effects of permanent beach loss…
Floods in Northwestern Tunisia
A combination of melting snow, overflowing rivers, and heavy rains flooded parts of coastal northwestern Tunisia.
Scientist Says People Can Either ‘defend’ or Retreat From Rising Seas
Hundreds of millions of people who are living in low-lying coastal areas around the globe have two options when it comes to protecting themselves from rising sea levels, says a British Columbia-based scientist…
People Displaced by Climate Change Need Our Help, But So Do Those Who Cannot Leave
The environment is already affecting patterns of human migration. On the island of Hatia, along coastal Bangladesh, 22 percent of households have migrated to cities as a coping strategy following tidal surges. A recent UK report has shown that a focus on populations migrating away from environmental change neglects 2 key groups of vulnerable people: the many millions who will actually migrate into areas of environmental threat, and those who will be trapped there by economic, social or environmental challenges.
NASA Mission Takes Stock of Earth’s Melting Land Ice
In the first comprehensive satellite study of its kind, a University of Colorado at Boulder-led team used NASA data to calculate how much Earth’s melting land ice is adding to global sea level rise. Earth is losing a huge amount of ice to the ocean annually, and these new results will help answer important questions in terms of both sea rise and how the planet’s cold regions are responding to global change.