Miami And New Orleans Destined To Sink Into The Sea, Study Claims

If we carry on as we are, the land on which almost 30 million Americans now live will end up below the sea’s high-tide line. The study was published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “It turns out it’s a lot easier to project how much the sea level will rise than how quickly the sea level will rise”, says Strauss.

According to state-of-the-art estimations, every one degree Celsius of global warming could result in a 2.3 meter (7.5 feet) rise in sea levels, which would occur over a period of approximately 2,000 years. But much of the sea level rise could happen a lot faster than that.

As researchers explained, if current trends related to carbon dioxide emissions persist unchecked and if warm waters continue to erode the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet, the consequences will be devastating and far-reaching.

The USA, however, is more exposed to rising sea levels since more than 20 million people live on coastal areas.

However, out of the entire population affected by rising sea levels, 40% of them will be inhabitants of Florida.

According to researchers, in initial stages, this phenomenon could severely affect coastal areas, but in the long run it could completely obliterate a vast amount of our global heritage. What happens to USA cities under different scenarios in the future? However, humans can limit the damage by making bold action on climate change. But what’s striking about the study is how much very long-term sea level rise we’ve already committed to.

Of course, that’s not to say that all of these cities will be lost.

These are the questions that this stunning new interactive map is created to get you thinking about. If this sheet remains stable, more than half of the municipalities would escape drowning. There were many surprising conclusions to be drawn from the study, Strauss claimed. In other words, the point of no return.

According to earth scientist Michael Mann, a well-known author on climate change, the latest findings are a “useful contribution to the literature”. All will be affected, albeit with relatively slight differences depending upon gravitational and other factors. In order to do that, the researchers analyzed and linked historical data with the emission numbers over the last years.

For cities such as New York, Wilmington, N.C., and Bridgeport, Conn., which have more distant lock-in dates, there’s still hope of keeping the streets from final inundation. “It’s hard to imagine how we could defend Miami in the long run”, lead study author Benjamin Strauss told AFP.

Miami’s low elevation and porous limestone foundation mean that sea walls and levees will not help, he said.

Other cities already locked-in include Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Charleston, South Carolina. New York City has until 2095.

Say goodbye to Miami and New Orleans. As such, the scenario that would see over 600 cities on the US coast underwater over the following centuries is not too likely to pan out.

However, there is a silver lining in the cloud, and that is switching to renewable energy and focusing on carbon cuts as though our own very lives are at stake.

Global Warming and Climate Change: What’s the Diff? That’s the future if we don’t do anything, and all that blue is water that used to be land.

The big uncertainty is the issue of when.

A few of this could happen as early as next century.

“People sometimes hear climate science and think we’re doomed no matter what”, Strauss said.