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.
