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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI15060952/00001
Notes
- Abstract:
- The global warming from the greenhouse effect could raise sea level one meter about one meter in the
next century and several meters in the next few hundred years by expanding ocean water, melting
mountain glaciers, and causing ice sheets to melt or slide into the oceans. Such a rise would inundate
deltas, coral atoll islands, and other coastal lowlands, erode beaches, exacerbate coastal flooding, and
threaten water quality in estuaries and aquifers.
Because the worst effects are well into the future, engineering responses to sea level rise will probably
be unnecessary for several decades; these structures can be erected over the course of a decade or so.
However, because current land use policies can determine whether an area will be developed one hundred
years hence, officials should begin today to consider options for averting adverse consequences of sea
level rise. The most important decision will generally be determining which areas should be protected with
dikes and which should be allowed to flood.
Since the beginning of recorded history, sea level has risen so slowly that for most practical purposes, it
has been constant. As a result, people and other species have developed coastal areas much more extensively
than would have been possible ten thousand years ago, when sea level was rising more rapidly. Whether one
is discussing coral atolls, river deltas, barrier islands, or ocean beaches, life is in a delicate balance with the
level of the sea. The projected global warming, however, could disrupt that balance by raising sea level a meter
in the next century and perhaps several meters in the next two hundred years.
This article examines the consequences of such a rise. After briefly summarizing the impacts of global
warming on sea level, we describe the physical effects of sea level rise and their interaction with current
activities, and suggest possible implications for land use policies. We hope that this article helps to motivate
the process by which land use policies in developing coastal nations help these nations to prepare to live with
a rising sea on a warmer planet.
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- Please contact the owning institution for licensing and permissions. It is the user's responsibility to ensure use does not violate any third party rights.
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