New York, New York

The Big Apple. Recently hit by “frankenstorm” Hurricane Sandy. Something this article mentioned caught my attention. The storm resulted in sea levels reaching 14 feet higher than the average low-tide mark (9 feet higher than the high tide average). But the danger isn’t the actual surge, but the return to normal – the high water mark has changed. The frequency of such storms is likely to increase due to warming of waters – sea level rise means that these surges will have even more of an impact in the future (Childs, 2012). It has now been suggested that New York should invest in the building of storm surge barriers, to prevent such destruction in the future. 

So what can New York expect over the coming years in terms of rising sea levels? A study by Horton et al states that sea level projections in this region are higher than overall global projections. They attribute this, partly, to the gradual subsiding of this area by around 3-4inches per century. The weakening of the Gulf Stream will also impact this region (US northeast coast) and contribute to rising sea levels. The possibility of more frequent extreme events (such as Sandy) will also lead to more flooding. (Horton et al, 2010).

The video from this site has emerged following Sandy, where we find out the opinions from some New Yorkers themselves. (sorry I could not get it to embed within this post, but it's definitely worth watching!)

The question, is safety vs. beauty... would they rather be safe from future threats, or prefer a better view from their windows?

If it were up to me, I would definitely advise them to take action as soon as possible. The threats are imminent and seem to only be getting worse. It is expensive to build the infrastructure, however it will be a worthy investment, and save, at least to some extent, the future of New York.

References:

Childs, C. (2012) Our Latest High-Water Mark, The New York Times (WWW) http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/03/opinion/our-latest-high-water-mark.html

Horton, R. et al (2010) Climate Observations and Projections, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1196: 41-62

PBS (2012) Protecting New York From Future Superstorms as Sea Levels Rise:

 http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/climate-change/july-dec12/sandy_11-20.html

Rosenzweig, C. and W. Solecki (2012) Rising Sea Levels Are Serious, The New York Times (WWW) http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/11/02/should-new-york-build-sea-gates/we-must-take-rising-sea-levels-seriously?smid=tw-roomfordebate&seid=auto