Thursday, July 28, 2016

Report: U.S. Bases On The Coast Are At Risk From Rising Sea Levels

US Navy Photo

Reuters: Climate change risk threatens 18 U.S. military sites: study

Rising sea levels due to hurricanes and tidal flooding intensified by climate change will put military bases along the U.S. East Coast and Gulf Coast at risk, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Nonprofit group the Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed 18 military installations that represent more than 120 coastal bases nationwide to weigh the impact of climate change on their operations.

Faster rates of sea level rises in the second half of this century could mean that tidal flooding will become a daily occurrence for some installations, pushing useable land needed for military training and testing into tidal zones, said the report titled "The U.S. Military on the Front Lines of Rising Seas."

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I have been hearing about rising sea levels along the east and west coast for decades .... I have yet to see it.

Report: U.S. Bases On The Coast Are At Risk From Rising Sea Levels

Sea Level Rise a Big Issue for Military in Hampton Roads, Science Says -- Military.com/Virginia Pilot
Climate Change Threatens 18 East And Gulf Coast US Military Installations, Study Finds -- International Business Times
Climate change could leave many military bases underwater -- CSM
Rising seas threaten to swamp U.S. military bases by 2050 -- USA Today
US military bases at risk from sea level rise: study -- Phys.org

6 comments:

jimbrown said...

100 percent could be wiped out by a meteor expected to hit some time in the future.

jimbrown said...

100 percent could be wiped out by a meteor expected to hit some time in the future.

fred said...

Ray Toll, a retired naval oceanographer, says the "majority of [the naval base], if not all of it" is at risk of flooding "because it's so low and it's flat."

The Norfolk-Hampton Roads area in Virginia is home to the largest naval operation in the world. This area is particularly vulnerable because the land is sinking as sea levels are rising. Planning for that is both a national security concern and a topic of discussion among the area's business owners.

Jay Farquharson said...

WNU Editor,

Since 1994, NASA has recorded a 9.01 cm rise in sea levels, 19.8 cm rise in sea levels since 1870.

While some low lying islands have disappeared from sea level rise, unless your City is only an inch or two above sea level, you arn't going to see a city "drowning" from the direct effects of sea level rise for quite a while.

It's the indirect effects that are causeing problems right now.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/virginia-islanders-could-be-u-s-first-climate-change-refugees/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-norfolk-evidence-of-climate-change-is-in-the-streets-at-high-tide/2014/05/31/fe3ae860-e71f-11e3-8f90-73e071f3d637_story.html

https://warisboring.com/the-u-s-navys-biggest-naval-base-is-sinking-9cbfb063269f#.ym7v87lh7

http://www.bradenton.com/opinion/editorials/article62475957.html

Drain's run on a 1":7' ratio. Any slope greater than that and the waste is left behind in the drain as the water runs off. Any slope less than that, and the waste settles out as the water doesn't have enough velocity to carry it away. If you have a 1" rise of water, covering the drains exit into the sewer system, long enough, then you get a "shock hydraulic dam effect", water and waste then backs up in your drain, until you flush your toilet and the contents bubble up into your basement through the floor drain.

Storm drain systems are vulnerable to the same effect, which is why now, in low lying cities like Tampa and Norfolk, rain falls not a problem in the past, now cause massive flooding.

The short term "fix" is watertight seawalls and massive high speed pumping stations to evacuate the water. For a City like Norfolk, is only a multibillion dollar project that should have been started years ago. For a City like Tampa, on porous limestone, there is no solution other than relocate.





Anonymous said...

Mountain retreats in Quebec are safe. Rest easy.

Jay Farquharson said...

Only from sea level rise.