Oh, Noes, Globull Warming Caused Rising Seas Threaten New Jersey

And the answer to stopping climate change raising the water levels is to….well, talk about it, spread awareness, and, well, that’s it

While the economy may be the most immediate issue, climate change is on our doorstep, said Melanie Reding, education coordinator for the Jacques Cousteau Coastal Education Center in Little Egg Harbor.

Reding spoke Saturday about sea level rise and what warming oceans mean for New Jersey’s coast, to an audience at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences.

“New Jersey has a real issue,” Reding said. “Sixty percent of our population lives within the coastal region. We have low elevation and high population.”

The sea level at Atlantic City has risen about 14 inches since records began in 1912, half because of the rise in sea level and the other half to subsidence – sinking of the land.

So, let’s see, that means that the seas at Atlantic City (which is basically swampland) have risen 7 inches in the past century, which, science and physical records tell us is……..well within the average for sea rise over the last 7,000 years, since the last glacial period came to an end. That average is 6-8 inches per century.

Say, with all that subsidence, why isn’t New Jersey having tons of earthquakes? Doesn’t land subsidence from melting glaciers caused by someone driving a fossil fueled vehicle cause earthquakes?

Oh, and then there is that whole thing in NJ about erosion due to close in currents. As someone who grew up in NJ at the Shore, I can tell you, you would see the erosion every year. There’s a reason the state and cities spend a lot of money on rock jetties, dredge the inlets, and dump lots of sand at the beaches. Take a look at an overhead shot of the Manasquan Inlet, and witness the power of nature.

Share this!

Enjoy reading? Share it with your friends!