Vulnerabilities In Coastline

People living in Miami are in the face of danger, and for the most part they are not aware of it. Due to high population, Miami is the fourth largest city to become affected by sea level rise. (Ankum et al.) In the next 32-50 years, sea level is expected to rise by as much as two feet. (Ankum et al.) This two-foot rise will have detrimental effects on the urban settings of Miami. The amount of soil erosion that is undergoing at our beaches will greatly increase if a two-foot rise occurs. At a four-foot rise, road connectivity would begin to become affected. At a six-foot rise, Southern Florida would no longer be habitable as it would, for the most part, be underwater. Not much is being invested in mitigation efforts, most of what is being done are short term solutions. Instead of coming up with ideas to prevent and try to slow down the effects of climate change on our environment, we are focusing on ideas such as building up a sea wall, relocating power plants, and redesigning structures.

The earth has been unusually warm for many years, resulting in climate change. The earth is warming due to the sea level rising, which is an effect of Global warming. Global warming will cause the loss of natural habitats due to flooding of wetlands and lowering of sediment supply in the estuary. Global warming will also cause the loss of real estate due to storm surge. Finally, global warming will cause the loss of tax revenue due to flooding of present property, future growth zones, and job opportunities due to flooding of property as well as the loss of tourism due to property damage. It was interesting to research the effects global warming has on the coast of Delaware and learn how global warming will cause the loss of natural habitats,

Sea level rise caused by global warming poses clear threats to coastal populations in Connecticut. In fact, models have depicted that the rate of global sea level rise could elevate by two to five times by the end of this century, and this will affect the health of residents and the state’s economy due to increase the impacts of coastal storms in urban areas (Gornitz et al., 2004). Reports have shown that Connecticut’s coastline has historically been at risk due to coastal storms (Frumhoff et al., 2007). For instance, a 2007 synthesis report of Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA) suggested that there might be an increase in the number of winter storms received in coastal Connecticut (particularly late in the winter). Also, in the

The sea levels are rising due to the compaction of the groundwater withdrawals, post-glaciation settling, and the effects from the meteor crater in the Chesapeake Bay. The sea levels are slowly rising in present day but with the hurricanes and nor'easters they help aid in making those levels rise faster of a period of time. If the climate warmed two degrees, the sea levels will rise which will cause the beaches to erode and create flooding. Due to sea levels rising, about 13.1 million people in Virginia will be displaced and approximately two billion people in the world. Coastal resilience is the community coming together to build a stronger community after extreme weather storms or any hazardous events. This is to make sure that the community is prepared for the next possible hazardous event so that the impact is less

The Unites States of America is currently working to combat climate change in order to protect people from its effects. By combatting climate change, the USA hopes to prevent its effects from becoming worse in the future because the USA cares for its citizens and doesn’t want them to keep experiencing the consequences of climate change. The USA is putting great effort into dealing with climate change and also hopes that other businesses, organization, and individuals will join them in their effort (Environmental News Service). One concern the USA has towards climate change is its cause of natural disasters. Climate change is bringing more natural disasters by making weather patterns stronger, and weather patterns are becoming stronger as climate change grows which is bringing more natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and drought to the USA (Rice). One example of a natural disaster that occurred in the USA as a result of climate change is the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. In this event, a tornado rated 5 on the Enhanced Fuijta scale hit Oklahoma and had a negative impact on this city by destroying many of its houses and buildings also resulting in the destruction of businesses such as schools (Cable News Network). Another major concern of the USA towards climate change is that it will cause a rise in the global sea level which will result in many of its coastal cities to be submerged underwater. There will be a permanent 4 feet rise in the global sea level

There are many areas in Tampa that will be unfortunately underwater. As we saw with the heavy rains in late 2015, the most vital areas such as Westshore Ave, South Tampa, Bayshore Ave, and even Downtown had major flooding causing delays in traffic and safety anxieties. While the flooding only lasted a few days, the event brought attention to the Tampa’s faulty infrastructure and drainage systems. An alarming thought is how Tampa will be able to protect itself from a storm or the rising sea levels if the drainage systems are inadequate. The Tampa Bay area is due for a natural disaster any day now; the coastal area is highly vulnerable. According to Sara Kerr, “One place that we have to look carefully at is Tampa where there is a huge concentration at risk from a storm surge, but there hasn’t been an event for 150 years and so the city is fairly complacent about its risk” (2015). A possible catastrophe can pose as an environmental challenge in Tampa Bay as the highly populous areas will not be able to withstand rising sea levels that will occur.

Griggs, (2005a) indicated the impacts of coastal armoring. This process of passive erosion is perhaps the most significant long-term effect of shoreline armoring, and cannot be mitigated, except through an on-going and permanent beach nourishment program which is only a temporary solution. Local scour at the ends of coastal armoring structures is the result of the end configuration of the armoring structure, angle of wave approach, and wave height and period. The perception that sloping structures such as revetments have less of an impact on active beach processes due to its slope and permeability than vertical seawalls or bulkheads is the subject of on-going

According to the American Bar Association, "The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has concluded that during the 20th century, sea levels rose some 5-9 inches throughout the world."(Gresham, Imwalle). This not only puts costal communities at risk of losing their homes, but also cause damage to infrastructures worth millions of dollars. The rise of sea level due to climate change has put Bay Area officials hard at work to come up with different plans on how to deal with this in the future.

Climate change creates significant impacts in the Australian context: in considering sea level rise is one of the most critical condition and as per the IPCC report, in 2100 it will increase by79 centimeters (Department of climate change, 2009). Further, it enhances natural hazards affect on the coastal region as flood, inundation, erosion, and storm surges, which will be a significant threat to the coastal community (Button et al.2013). In addition, sea level rise causes a significant change to beaches, coral reefs, estuaries, wetlands and low-lying islands.

The definition of coastal resilience is when a community builds a plan to be able to “bounce back” after hazardous events such as flooding, hurricanes, and coastal storms. Resilience is the ability to prevent short-term events from turning into long-term community disasters. In the Hampton roads area we have experienced recurring coastal flooding, in 2013 the government said they were joining as leaders to address these issues, but yet we still are not prepared to handle these hazardous events. There was a debate that was trying to figure out if these climate changes are manmade, I personally do not think that they are, I believe that the world is changing everyday and considering that we are surrounded by water, our circumstances are inevitable.

New York City will be my home for the next two years whilst I attend The City College. I believe that climate change will put coastal areas at risk. With the sea levels rising due to the melting of the ice sheets, extreme storm surges due to changes in weather patterns, and flooding they’ll threaten coastal infrastructure (buildings, transport, energy and water supply).

The storm surge and precipitation happen in the coastal regions due to the vulnerability the region has toward storms. Storm surges impact low altitude areas and destroy property, transportation systems, habitats human health. Superstorm Sandy flooded parts of New York, and New Jersey be a few feet due to the storm surge. With the sea level rising the negative impact are subject to worsen in the future. The rise in temperatures in the mountain regions are predicted to increase spring runoff and affect the health and quality of the coastal waters. Dead zones occur in the Gulf of Mexico and the Chesapeake Bay since the land pollution cause algal blooms. The decrease in could cause the salinity levels to rise in the waters of the coastal regions.

Coastal lands, agriculture, weak permafrost, increase in disease, weather patterns, ocean circulation, and biodiversity are few elements affected by this emergency. There is major concern for coastal flooding. IPCC estimates that 43% of coastal wetlands will be asphyxiated, beaches will wear down 100 to 200 ft., and 5,000 square miles will be overwhelmed with sea water. (Greenpeace) In Chesapeake Bay, beaches have already been lost, resulting from more than an inch increase in sea level. Many islands and low surface level countries will be inundated . Millions of people could be affect in Bangladesh, China, and New York due to flooding. Any country with a small economy can suffer greatly being unable to adapt and replenish resources. Pests that use warm weather will have more time to reproduce and feed on infected species, usually passing on infections. Allergens and viruses will be more persistent. Forest fires will increase. An example for agriculture damage is Kansas’ ability to be 4 degrees warmer during winter which is bad news for the winter wheat grown with cold air usually sent southward from the Artic ice. Also, during summer Kansas can lose valuable cropland from soil losing 10 percent of its moisture. (NRDC) Shrinkage in fresh water supply will result in water stress for people that rely on spring water, such as the Himalayans

Leading scientists advise climate change will cause increases to the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Rising sea levels pose a significant risk to coastal communities, while the world’s oceans could become too acidic to support coral reefs and other calcifying marine organisms.

Decades of research suggest that sea-levels are rising, and will continue to rise as a result of climate change. This rise will have the most immediate and significant impact on