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The 2011 floods were in areas next to rivers; indeed some of the worst hit towns are nowhere near the coast, no? When it comes to ocean rise, no-one is predict

The 2011 floods were in areas next to rivers; indeed some of the worst hit towns are nowhere near the coast, no? When it comes to ocean rise, no-one is predicting a "Day After Tomorrow"-style flood wave. The scientific paper linked in TFA has 6 feet over the next 80 years as the worst case scenario. This is in line with most other estimates (e.g. from the IPCC). I'm as afraid of climate change as the next person, but sea level rise affecting rich coastal cities is so slow, so easily measured, so easy to engineer our way out of, and so obviously a net profitable endeavour to protect against, as compared to many of the other climate change threats like ocean acidification, large ecosystem collapses, food shortages etc. I don't understand how any sensible person can worry about sea level rise affecting western cities.

nerdponx 9y ago
Just judging by how mother nature has acted in the last few years, I suspect that sea level rise will be anything but gradual. I'm sure someone here on HN has a climate science background and can weigh in; but even though the sea level rise will take place over the course of 80 years, it seems reasonable that it would happen in fits and starts, i.e. catastrophic flooding every few years.
xaedes 9y ago
Glacial melting can have quite fast effects. For example when a glacial lake is building do to melting and the ice dam holding back all the water breaks. The content of the whole glacial lake can be swooped to the oceans in one flush. It doesn't even have to be melted water. Rivers under the ice due to melting ice can transport whole ice sheets to the coast and into the oceans. Carrying all the weight of the ice with it, into the oceans. Now the ice sheets have a MASSIVE weight that pushs on the whole antarctic continent. Releasing all that weight has an effect on the earth crust. Much less weight on the antarctic continent and overall more weight on the oceans. This will result in tensions in the earth crust. We know how these are released: Earth quakes. Earth quakes can also result in tsunamis. A lot of coastal cities are not really prepared for tsunamis. Just telling a story what CAN happen.
- sveme 9y ago
  Indeed. The emergence of the black and baltic seas 8000 years ago were comparatively rapid events. Escapable, but extremely rapid. Jökulhaups can also have enormous and rapid effects, like the Missoula or Spokane floods.

nerdponx 9y ago

Just judging by how mother nature has acted in the last few years, I suspect that sea level rise will be anything but gradual. I'm sure someone here on HN has a climate science background and can weigh in; but even though the sea level rise will take place over the course of 80 years, it seems reasonable that it would happen in fits and starts, i.e. catastrophic flooding every few years.

xaedes 9y ago

Glacial melting can have quite fast effects. For example when a glacial lake is building do to melting and the ice dam holding back all the water breaks. The content of the whole glacial lake can be swooped to the oceans in one flush. It doesn't even have to be melted water. Rivers under the ice due to melting ice can transport whole ice sheets to the coast and into the oceans. Carrying all the weight of the ice with it, into the oceans. Now the ice sheets have a MASSIVE weight that pushs on the whole antarctic continent. Releasing all that weight has an effect on the earth crust. Much less weight on the antarctic continent and overall more weight on the oceans. This will result in tensions in the earth crust. We know how these are released: Earth quakes. Earth quakes can also result in tsunamis. A lot of coastal cities are not really prepared for tsunamis. Just telling a story what CAN happen.

sveme 9y ago
Indeed. The emergence of the black and baltic seas 8000 years ago were comparatively rapid events. Escapable, but extremely rapid. Jökulhaups can also have enormous and rapid effects, like the Missoula or Spokane floods.