Learn more about sea level rise

Sea Level Rise Will Make Oregon’s Existing Flooding Problems Worse

, climate scientist

January 31, 2018 9:23 AM EDT

In 2013 Annie Pollard opened her pub, the 7 Devils Brewing Co., in Coos Bay, Oregon. Less than two years later, the pub flooded during a heavy rain that coincided with a high tide, and Pollard found herself stacking sandbags and mopping up floodwaters. While high tide flooding is relatively infrequent in Coos Bay, when it does occur, businesses like Pollard’s are at risk, and inundated roads cause traffic in town to snarl. Pollard and other business owners are acutely aware that such floods could become a much bigger problem for Coos Bay in the future. Read more >

JXBauer/Flickr
Rob More for the Oregon King Tides Photo Project
Oregon Global Warming Commission
Bookmark and Share

3 Questions Worth Answering in the Wake of Winter Storm Grayson

, senior analyst, Climate & Energy Program

January 5, 2018 6:16 PM EDT

Yesterday in Massachusetts we were asking ourselves questions that have rarely, if ever, needed asking.

What happens when half-frozen seawater suddenly floods onto roadways? Can something the consistency of a milkshake and 3 feet deep be plowed? There’s a large dumpster floating down the street… What depth of water is sufficient to do that? What happens if some of this water freezes in place before it retreats (as I write this, the temps have plummeted to 12 degrees F and dropping)? Will those cars now filled with seawater in the snow-emergency parking lot run again? What if the water freezes inside them over the weekend, can that punch out doors? Read more >

Bookmark and Share

Three Ways Fox News Misleads its Readers on Sea Level Rise

, climate scientist

December 20, 2017 3:18 PM EDT

Last week I was quoted in a Fox News article with the headline of “’Arbitrary’ adjustments exaggerate sea level rise, study finds.” Out of the dozens of news pieces I’ve contributed quotes to this year, this one stands out as one of the few–if not the only–written with a climate denial stance. I want to highlight three ways that this particular Fox News piece misleads its audience on the science of sea level rise. Read more >

Bookmark and Share

The Moon is seen as is rises, Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017 in Washington. Photo by NASA. CC-BY-2.0 (Flickr)

Supermoons, King Tides, and Global Warming

, climate scientist

December 6, 2017 10:04 AM EDT

Were you, like me, dazzled by the supermoon this weekend? Did you also stare in a state of wonder at the bright and shiny orb of color illuminating the night? Supermoons happen when a full or new moon is at its closest point to Earth. While we can’t see them during the new moon, supermoons that occur during a full moon are indeed something to behold. They bring thoughts of the universe, of space, stars and planets.

Read more >

Bookmark and Share

Fast and Getting Faster: The Verdict on Sea Level Rise from the Latest National Climate Assessment

, climate scientist

November 3, 2017 1:51 PM EDT

Sea level rose more rapidly during the 20th century than during any of the previous 27 centuries, and humans bear the lion’s share of the responsibility for that rise. That’s just one of the sobering takeaways from the U.S. Global Change Research Program’s Climate Science Special Report (CSSR), released today, but leaked to the New York Times in August. Billed as Volume 1 of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA), the CSSR captures the state of sea level rise science and its implications for the coasts of our country.

Read more >

Sweet et al. 2017
NASA
Simran Paintlia for mycoast.org
Bookmark and Share