Posted by Southern Man on May 08, 2002 at 08:21
(209.102.128.17)
Re: Global Warming (DA Morgan)
I certainly agree that a 1cm rise would cause waves to reach far more than 1cm farther inland. The daily tidal changes result is a change in the water/land interface moving several km in some locations. Your fallacy seems to be that there are crops being grown on the beaches. I am unaware of any crops being grown in the Mississippi delta anywhere within miles of the ocean. There is too much salt spray. Once you get far enough inland to produce crops today you are high enough above sea level that a few centimeter change would not be noticed. This is because the wave action during storms produces a flat area near the shore and a steeper slope at the highest storm/tsunami water level. A 1 cm (or 1 meter) rise might flood a little farther inland on the current beach but for the most part no one is going to be affected because this inland surge can not get past the “cliff” that marks the highest water mark left by multi-meter storm surges of the past.
Here is a reference from the US EPA that shows graphically that the amount of land in danger from the expected rise in the next several hundred years is minimal even if nothing is done to stop the rise or create dikes as has been done in Holland. http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/impacts/sealevel/maps/maps.pdf It clearly shows that if you are within a few meters of sea level presently, then you are already living in a swamp rather than on a farm.
P.S. I noticed your extensive references in other postings. I haven’t had time to look at all of them yet but I appreciate the effort.
Re: Global Warming Southern Man 14/5 08:45
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