Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington

Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309255945
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
Tide gauges show that global sea level has risen about 7 inches during the 20th century, and recent satellite data show that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating. As Earth warms, sea levels are rising mainly because ocean water expands as it warms; and water from melting glaciers and ice sheets is flowing into the ocean. Sea-level rise poses enormous risks to the valuable infrastructure, development, and wetlands that line much of the 1,600 mile shoreline of California, Oregon, and Washington. As those states seek to incorporate projections of sea-level rise into coastal planning, they asked the National Research Council to make independent projections of sea-level rise along their coasts for the years 2030, 2050, and 2100, taking into account regional factors that affect sea level. Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future explains that sea level along the U.S. west coast is affected by a number of factors. These include: climate patterns such as the El Niño, effects from the melting of modern and ancient ice sheets, and geologic processes, such as plate tectonics. Regional projections for California, Oregon, and Washington show a sharp distinction at Cape Mendocino in northern California. South of that point, sea-level rise is expected to be very close to global projections. However, projections are lower north of Cape Mendocino because the land is being pushed upward as the ocean plate moves under the continental plate along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. However, an earthquake magnitude 8 or larger, which occurs in the region every few hundred to 1,000 years, would cause the land to drop and sea level to suddenly rise.

Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington

Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309255945
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Get Book

Book Description
Tide gauges show that global sea level has risen about 7 inches during the 20th century, and recent satellite data show that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating. As Earth warms, sea levels are rising mainly because ocean water expands as it warms; and water from melting glaciers and ice sheets is flowing into the ocean. Sea-level rise poses enormous risks to the valuable infrastructure, development, and wetlands that line much of the 1,600 mile shoreline of California, Oregon, and Washington. As those states seek to incorporate projections of sea-level rise into coastal planning, they asked the National Research Council to make independent projections of sea-level rise along their coasts for the years 2030, 2050, and 2100, taking into account regional factors that affect sea level. Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future explains that sea level along the U.S. west coast is affected by a number of factors. These include: climate patterns such as the El Niño, effects from the melting of modern and ancient ice sheets, and geologic processes, such as plate tectonics. Regional projections for California, Oregon, and Washington show a sharp distinction at Cape Mendocino in northern California. South of that point, sea-level rise is expected to be very close to global projections. However, projections are lower north of Cape Mendocino because the land is being pushed upward as the ocean plate moves under the continental plate along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. However, an earthquake magnitude 8 or larger, which occurs in the region every few hundred to 1,000 years, would cause the land to drop and sea level to suddenly rise.

Advancing the Science of Climate Change

Advancing the Science of Climate Change PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309145880
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 526

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Book Description
Climate change is occurring, is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for-and in many cases is already affecting-a broad range of human and natural systems. The compelling case for these conclusions is provided in Advancing the Science of Climate Change, part of a congressionally requested suite of studies known as America's Climate Choices. While noting that there is always more to learn and that the scientific process is never closed, the book shows that hypotheses about climate change are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have stood firm in the face of serious debate and careful evaluation of alternative explanations. As decision makers respond to these risks, the nation's scientific enterprise can contribute through research that improves understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change and also is useful to decision makers at the local, regional, national, and international levels. The book identifies decisions being made in 12 sectors, ranging from agriculture to transportation, to identify decisions being made in response to climate change. Advancing the Science of Climate Change calls for a single federal entity or program to coordinate a national, multidisciplinary research effort aimed at improving both understanding and responses to climate change. Seven cross-cutting research themes are identified to support this scientific enterprise. In addition, leaders of federal climate research should redouble efforts to deploy a comprehensive climate observing system, improve climate models and other analytical tools, invest in human capital, and improve linkages between research and decisions by forming partnerships with action-oriented programs.

Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise

Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise PDF Author: Stefan Al
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781642830231
Category : Flood damage prevention
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
"Stefan Al provides an accessible overview of typical strategies for designing an urban shoreline to respond to flooding, with a strong emphasis on past and present Dutch approaches. Numerous illustrations make it useful for non-designers, as well as students of design. I recommend the book to planners and designers who are looking for an introduction to strategies for coastal design." Kristina Hill, Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley "Adapting Cities to Sea Level Rise is a frank typological exploration that synthesizes civil engineering, landscape, and urban design considerations into an accessible reference that highlights the adaptive and maladaptive tendencies of design. Rich with case studies, the book provides critical insights into the nuances shaping the life cycle of design interventions." Jesse M. Keenan, Faculty of Architecture, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design "With his book, Stefan Al presents an inspiring and extensive toolbox of strategies that cities can embrace to adapt to sea level rise. Al looks across the world optimistically: yes we can do it! And we must, since there is no time to waste. Adaptation is different in every place, and this book shows us how to maximize opportunities if only we work together in a truly inclusive and comprehensive way." Henk Ovink, Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Kingdom of The Netherlands, Sherpa to the UN and World Bank High Level Panel on Water, and Principal for Rebuild by Design.

Rising

Rising PDF Author: Elizabeth Rush
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
ISBN: 1571319700
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
A Pulitzer Prize Finalist, this powerful elegy for our disappearing coast “captures nature with precise words that almost amount to poetry” (The New York Times). Hailed as “the book on climate change and sea levels that was missing” (Chicago Tribune), Rising is both a highly original work of lyric reportage and a haunting meditation on how to let go of the places we love. With every record-breaking hurricane, it grows clearer that climate change is neither imagined nor distant—and that rising seas are transforming the coastline of the United States in irrevocable ways. In Rising, Elizabeth Rush guides readers through these dramatic changes, from the Gulf Coast to Miami, and from New York City to the Bay Area. For many of the plants, animals, and humans in these places, the options are stark: retreat or perish. Rush sheds light on the unfolding crises through firsthand testimonials—a Staten Islander who lost her father during Sandy, the remaining holdouts of a Native American community on a drowning Isle de Jean Charles, a neighborhood in Pensacola settled by escaped slaves hundreds of years ago—woven together with profiles of wildlife biologists, activists, and other members of these vulnerable communities. A Guardian, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal Best Book Of 2018 Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award A Chicago Tribune Top Ten Book of 2018

Sea-Level Change in the Gulf of Mexico

Sea-Level Change in the Gulf of Mexico PDF Author: Richard A. Davis
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 1603442243
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 185

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Book Description
A must-read for Gulf Coast scientists, naturalists, and residents . . . From Florida to Mexico and along the shores of Cuba, the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico are vulnerable to sea-level rise because of their fragile and low-lying shorelines and adjacent coastal environments. In addition to wetlands, river deltas, beaches, and barrier islands, millions of people who live and work along the Gulf coast are susceptible to the affects of both intense storms in the short term and a gradual rise in sea level over the longer term. While global warming headlines any current discussion of this topic and is certainly a major factor in sea-level change, it is not the only factor. Earthquakes and other crustal shifts, the El Niño/La Niña phenomena, river impoundment and sedimentation, tides, and weather can all affect local, regional, and global sea levels. In Sea-Level Change in the Gulf of Mexico, Richard A. Davis Jr. looks at the various causes and effects of rising and falling sea levels in the Gulf of Mexico, beginning with the Gulf’s geological birth over 100 million years ago, and focusing on the last 20,000 years, when global sea levels began rising as the glaciers of the last major ice age melted. Davis reviews the current situation, especially regarding beach erosion and loss of wetlands, and offers a preview of the future, when the Gulf Coast will change markedly as the twenty-first century progresses. Amply illustrated and written in a clear, straightforward style, Sea-Level Change in the Gulf of Mexico is a valuable resource for anyone who cares deeply about understanding the past, present, and future of life along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Rising Sea

The Rising Sea PDF Author: Orrin H. Pilkey
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1597266434
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
On Shishmaref Island in Alaska, homes are being washed into the sea. In the South Pacific, small island nations face annihilation by encroaching waters. In coastal Louisiana, an area the size of a football field disappears every day. For these communities, sea level rise isn’t a distant, abstract fear: it’s happening now and it’s threatening their way of life. In The Rising Sea, Orrin H. Pilkey and Rob Young warn that many other coastal areas may be close behind. Prominent scientists predict that the oceans may rise by as much as seven feet in the next hundred years. That means coastal cities will be forced to construct dikes and seawalls or to move buildings, roads, pipelines, and railroads to avert inundation and destruction. The question is no longer whether climate change is causing the oceans to swell, but by how much and how quickly. Pilkey and Young deftly guide readers through the science, explaining the facts and debunking the claims of industry-sponsored “skeptics.” They also explore the consequences for fish, wildlife—and people. While rising seas are now inevitable, we are far from helpless. By making hard choices—including uprooting citizens, changing where and how we build, and developing a coordinated national response—we can save property, and ultimately lives. With unassailable research and practical insights, The Rising Sea is a critical first step in understanding the threat and keeping our heads above water.

Rising Sea Levels

Rising Sea Levels PDF Author: Hunt Janin
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786459565
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
The fundamental point of this book is that, in the past, the world's political, economic, military and social development took place during a time of relatively stable sea level. That time, however, is now over: The world must begin to cope with rising seas. This book is a wide-ranging introductory survey. It addresses global warming, the hydrologic cycle, why we should care about the rise of the oceans, storm surges and other extreme events, the changing seas and their shorelines, cities and countries of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian ocean basins, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and the Greenland Ice Sheet, case studies on how the Netherlands and the U.S. plan to cope with sea level rise, the likely impacts of this rise, getting to know the experts on sea level rise, and very long term prospects for the world's shorelines.

Sea Level Rise in Florida

Sea Level Rise in Florida PDF Author: Albert C. Hine
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780813062891
Category : Coast changes
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This volume proposes to provide a concise, simple, well-illustrated book that explains past sea rise events, what scientists know about the present and future sea level rise, the consequences of rise, and how Floridians might prepare.

Changing Sea Levels

Changing Sea Levels PDF Author: David Pugh
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521532181
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
A textbook that explains the causes of potentially devastating changes in sea level.

Sea Level Rise and Coastal Infrastructure

Sea Level Rise and Coastal Infrastructure PDF Author: Bilal M. Ayyub
Publisher: Amer Society of Civil Engineers
ISBN: 9780784412008
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
Sponsored by the Council on Disaster Risk Management Sea Level Rise and Coastal Infrastructure: Prediction, Risks, and Solutions analyzes the challenges posed by rising sea levels and climate change. Scientists estimate that global sea levels could rise by as much as 20 feet in this century, directly affecting about 100 million people worldwide. Although the problems stemming from higher sea levels are formidable, immediate actions can be identified and executed to lessen the impact of rising waters on coastal infrastructure and communities. Using a risk analysis and management framework, each chapter in this volume focuses on a facet of sea level rise, examining its associated risks and assessing its socioeconomic impact. From this information, appropriate long-term measures and mitigation strategies can be developed. Chapters consider such questions as: How can we model the impact of rising sea levels and increasingly intense tropical storms on coastal infrastructure? What strategies can be phased in to improve new construction? How can existing infrastructure best be targeted for retrofitting? How can risk models be designed to accommodate regional socioeconomic considerations? Engineers, scientists, and policymakers concerned with planning, design, and construction of coastal infrastructure will find this compact assessment useful, relevant, and thought-provoking.