September 24th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
But it wasn’t due to global warming. Experts believe a weakened Gulf Stream and strong winds from the northeastern Atlantic sent more water towards the coast.
Sea levels jumped as much as 2 feet, higher than predicted for the East Coast.
Screwed up winds may be the immediate explanation for the deeper waters, but the underlying cause is still a mystery.
Researchers don’t know why the Gulf Stream slowed down, which was made worse by the early arrival of autumn winds.
Scientists say the Gulf Stream pulls current water away from the East Coast, so a weaker stream lets water creep further down the shoreline, which lead to minor coastal flooding. So figuring out what killed the Gulf Stream is a priority.
I live on the East Coast–New Jersey–and as much as I think rising sea levels are scary, the higher tides could wash away all the sleazy greased hair, Axe Body Sprayed land sharks that hangout down the shore.
Via National Geographic News.
Image credit: Sister72
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May 25th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
Everyone thinks global warming is melting the artic—and it is—but tropical zones are also at risk.
As sea levels rise, natives of the Carteret Islanders of Papua New Guinea are seeing ocean water encroach on their homes and leave farmland too salty to grow crops.
Experts are calling them the first official refugees of climate change. Their villages could be completely underwater by 2015.
The first wave of escapees sailed away from their homes in small boats carrying almost nothing. Right now, the numbers are few, but a handful of families are already building villages on a neighboring island, on higher ground.
Ocean researchers claim annual sea level rise around the islands is 8.2 mm and many want the predicament of the island filmed, so believers and deniers alike can see the ravages of climate change.
Via TreeHugger.
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