|
Sudden sea level rise could put hundreds of millions at risk
mongabay.com
April 19, 2007
|
Pakarang Cape, Thailand before and after the December 26, 2004 tsunami. Image courtesy of USGS.
|
A sudden surge in sea levels could put more than a billion people at risk reports new research presented by scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
New mapping technique show how much land would be inundated by various increases in sea levels. The researchers caution that the scenarios are likely to result from storm surges and earthquake-produced tsunami, not gradual rises in sea level caused by global warming-induced melting sea ice and glaciers.
Their models show that a 5-meter (16 foot) rise in sea levels would flood some 5.4 million square kilometers (2.1 million square miles) of land and displaced nearly 670 million people, while a 30-meter (100 foot) increase would cause 9.5 million square kilometers (3.7 million square miles) of land to be lost and affect 1.4 billion people.
The researchers, led by E. Lynn Usery, note that the largest surge during the 2004 Aceh tsunami, which killed 230,000 people around the Indian Ocean, reached 100 feet.
Sea levels are currently rising at 0.04 to 0.08 inches (1 to 2 millimeters) each year due to melting ice caps and thermal expansion of sea water.
Peveto Beach, Louisiana, before and after Hurricane Katrina.
Image courtesy of USGS.
- this note used information from a USGS. presentation and a Reuters report by Michael Kahn.
Comments?
News options
SHARE THIS ARTICLE:
Tags:
oceans earth science earthquakes disasters tsunami sea levels environment green
CITATION:
mongabay.com (April 19, 2007). Sudden sea level rise could put hundreds of millions at risk. http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0419-sea_levels.html
|
News index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home
Advertisements:
Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing
|
|
MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
CONTENTS
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
INTERACT
POPULAR PAGES
STORE
SHIRTS
HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS / PRINTS
CALENDARS
Mount Kenya
East Africa Safari Wildlife
Kenya's Turkana People
Peru
African Wildlife
Alaska
China
Madagascar Chameleons
CANVAS BAGS
Hallucinogenic frog bag
Madagascar wildlife bag
|
|
|
