The Science Behind Superstorm Sandy Causes Panic And Hyperventilation Over 3 Inches

EVERYBODY PANIC!!!!!!!!!!! (via Tom Nelson)

(Hyperventilating American) But the more than 74-mile-per-hour winds’ most enduring impact…

No, sorry, that would be wind gusts. Scientific fail #1. And the author David Biello, provides more fail through mentioning it a few more times, including “boasting sustained winds above 74 mph.” No. The closest buoy had it at about 60mph. But, that’s not really what I want to mention. This is the funny part

Yet, Superstorm Sandy’s massive flooding is already unprecedented in recent decades. According to experts, however, it is only going to become more likely in coming decades, thanks to a combination of local geography, vulnerable coastal development and already-happening sea-level rise as a result of climate change. In the future, it will not take a frankenstorm like Sandy to inundate the region. Given that reality, the best defense may be to accept the inevitability of flooding and prepare infrastructure to withstand it, as is common in other regions more historically prone to storm surge flooding. (big snip to page 3)

To fully protect Manhattan would require a flood wall that is tall, long and continuous, wrapping around the island on both sides, similar to the 16-kilometer-long, five-meter-high and nearly five-meter-thick (at its base) sea wall along the Galveston shorefront. In the aftermath of Hurricane Donna in 1960, such a sea wall actually was proposed for Coney Island—but never built. (little snip, still on page 3)

First, land rebounding farther north after the removal of the massive weight of Ice Age glaciers has caused the island of Manhattan itself to slowly sink. Second, at the same time, the oceans have risen by nearly three inches locally over the course of the 20th century, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

So, let me get this straight: we need to spend tens of billions of dollars (probably more) to build a 5 meter tall sea wall around Manhattan to protect against sea rise of…..3 inches? Seriously? And, if that’s all the measurable sea rise locally, big deal. The average sea rise over the past 7,000 years, since the sea rise from the end of the Little Ice Age slowed, is 6-8 inches per century. That’s an average that includes the myriad cool periods. One would think the rise would be more during a warm period.

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4 Responses to “The Science Behind Superstorm Sandy Causes Panic And Hyperventilation Over 3 Inches”

  1. Gumball_Brains says:

    land rebounding farther north after the removal of the massive weight of Ice Age glaciers has caused the island of Manhattan itself to slowly sink.

    Wait.. what? OH. right. Getting hotter means getting colder. Getting floodier means getting drier. Rising land means sinking islands. Yeah, and one more person on an island causes it to tip over.

    I am sick and tired of the media, even Fox News, calling this SUPERSTORM Sandy. There was nothing really super about it. It was a hybrid hurricane turned NorEaster during a high tide and full moon …. and especially in an area over built and under protected.

    If they want to build a 25 foot storm wall from Virginia to Boston.. they are welcome to increase their taxes for it.

  2. Trish says:

    We build in low lying lands along the coast, and these folks are SHOCKED when they flood during storms.
    Well, get over it. As long as we continue to claim swamp land that is meant to flood and drain when conditions like heavy rain storms and hurricanes come along,(New Orleans style) we can expect them to be flooded. That goes for shoreline properties and low lying island beaches as well. (Sea Isle City NJ, and other barrier islands are at or below sea level)
    This is not the first time that NJ beaches have been devastated, and won’t be the last. It’s probably not the first time Staten Island or Long Island were hit either, and likely not the last.

    GB-funny you say that about the “Superstorm”; a co-worker was remarking that it wasn’t even much of a hurricane, but it happened to combine with a nor’easter and tidal timing was everything. It really would have been bad if Sandy had ramped up to hurricane force winds, but that didn’t happen.
    Is the devastation real? Yes, and I feel badly for and have donated money to their relief efforts!
    Will they rebuild right back up even though they know it could happen again? Yes. Hopefully this time they’ll build their houses with bricks so the Big Bad Wolf can’t blow it down!

  3. Gumball_Brains says:

    Hopefully this time they’ll build their houses with bricks so the Big Bad Wolf can’t blow it down!

  4. mojo says:

    “Many a statistician has drowned while crossing a very wide river with an average depth of six inches.”

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