environment

Rising seas blamed as flooding hits Pacific islands

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Why is it that these rising sea levels only affect remote islands, when historic photos of mainland coastlines appear unchanged in 100 years?

You are not going to notice it in a distant photo of a coastline that experiences normal tidal differences of several meters to even ten meters on a daily basis. However those coral atolls in the Pacific and Indian Ocean often have an average height above mean, meaning average, high tide of two meters. During spring tides when the tidal forces of the Sun and Moon are greatest these island now experience flooding of populated/agricultural lands not previously subject to flooding. In the Us many coastal cities are experiencing street flooding during spring tides where they didn't in past years. Here is an image of Mali, the capital of the Maldives. All of the many atolls that make up this nation are similarly low with all of their infrastructure sitting a meter or two above mean sea level. What do you imagine happens here if most of the Greenland icecap melts and average sea levels rise a couple of meters, meaning high tides are even higher? Keep in mind that if all the ice on Greenland melts oceans will rise about 7 meters. A 7 meter rise in sea levels makes Beijing a beach town, submerges Shanghai and moves the Chinese coast all the way back to Suzhou (Lake Tai becomes a coastal bay).

https://www.backpackerbanter.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/male-guide-maldives-captial-what-to-do-day-trip-layover.jpg

Look at that image and maybe you begin to understand why the island nations are chewing their nails.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Many Pacific islands have sunk over the ages and buying a tesla won't solve that problem.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

These islands are not sinking.

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Here's an image of Mali's new airport. What do you think happens if sea levels rise two meters? Then add a spring tide to that. Better have a float plane for spring tides !

https://i1.wp.com/www.amazingplacesonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/MALE_AIRPORT.jpg?ssl=1

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Picture what a two meter rise in sea levels does here.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VnEDYhMmXB4/maxresdefault.jpg

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These kind of problems are predicted to become more and more common and drastic, and we are already too late to completely prevent them. It is a shame that poor nations that can do very little to prevent climate change are the ones that will get the blunt of the changes.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Why is it that these rising sea levels only affect remote islands, when historic photos of mainland coastlines appear unchanged in 100 years?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

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