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Frequent flooding is expected to worsen at high tide Sea level continues to rise Due to climate change, but as a new study warns, a regularly occurring 18.6-year cycle involving the moon could cause unprecedented flooding along the US coast in the 2030s.
Annoying flood, flood on a sunny day, or flood tide – it’s all the same, annoying pain in the butt. In 2019, NOAA tracked more than 600 of them Flood events that often occur at high tide, where the tide rises 2 feet (0.6 meters) above normal. These floods are not life threatening, but can damage coastal infrastructure in the affected areas and cause inconveniences such as flooded parking lots. Needless to say, a disturbing flood occurred more often Due to human-caused climate change, it is expected to get worse as sea levels continue to rise.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the 18.6 year lunar cycle is expected to amplify this effect further, according to the new one. Research Published in Nature Climate Change. The study authors, led by Phil Thompson of the University of Hawaii, say that the confluence of sea level rise and periodic oscillations of the Moon’s orbit will increase the frequency and intensity of tidal flooding along the US ocean coast. By the mid-2030s, tidal flooding could occur in waves lasting a month or more and nearly every day, scientists say. Members of the University of Hawaii’s NASA Sea Surface Change Science Team contributed to this research.
Scientists have known about this wobble in the Moon’s orbit since the early 1700s, and how alignments involving the Moon, Earth, and Sun can affect tides. During the first half of this cycle, the tides are below average and the tides are higher than normal. During the other half of the cycle, the ups and downs are amplified, appearing higher and lower than usual. The reason for this has to do with the moon’s gravitational pull, which causes tides around Earth. We are currently in the amplification phase of this cycle, but the Moon’s gravity is not affecting tides to the level expected in the mid-2030s when the amplification phase will be renewed.
All this is known, but now scientists must predict the impact of this lunar cycle in an era of climate change and rising sea levels. Though, the situation looks bad, moon swaying or not. The figures provided by NOAA paint a bleak picture, with Estimate This suggests that global sea levels will rise by at least 12 inches (0.3 meters) by the end of the century. Unfortunately, the world is currently on the right track for Worst case scenario for sea level rise Formulated by scientists and invented by researchers Worried signs of growing Antarctic ice. In 2014, approx. 40% of the US population It inhabits coastal areas that may experience sea level rise.
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“Low areas near sea level are increasingly at risk and suffering from increased flooding, and it will only get worse,” said Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator. statement. “The combination of lunar gravity, rising sea levels, and climate change will continue to exacerbate coastal flooding on our coasts and around the world.”
To build the new predictive model, Thompson and colleagues studied tidal information collected by 90 gauges distributed along the coast of the United States, flood statistics, meteorological events such as El Nio events, and astronomical cycles, among other data points. Frequent tidal flooding is expected to occur on nearly the coasts of the US mainland, Hawaii, and Guam. Alaska will not have this problem for at least a decade or so, as its land mass is actually increasing due to geological processes.
Thompson said tidal flooding was not as severe as a hurricane, but he warned of the cumulative effect as well as the emergence of “leaky sinks” as a public health concern. In the study, the scientists concluded that urban planners should heed the new findings and act accordingly.
More: Sea level rise alone threatens to destroy the global economy.
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