Another Way Manhattan Could Be Underwater
Posted by Jonathan J. Miller -Thursday, February 23, 2012, 1:01 PM
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[Source: Columbia University]
Not talking about underwater mortgages here, but water, as in underwater. Think Irene. The Atlantic Cities has an interesting piece on the impact of climate change on Manhattan. Food Water for thought (sorry).
No attempt to be alarmist here, but I do find the topic fascinating.
Manhattan could see a drastic uptick of so-called 100-year floods, or those with storm surges around 6.5 feet, according to a new MIT study. These mondo deluges could occur as often as every 3 to 20 years by the end of this century, blasting over the island’s seawalls into businesses and subways and causing the kind of mass evacuations last seen with Hurricane Irene.
If the storm-of-the-century happens every decade, then I think the 100-year naming methodology has to be rethought.
MIT postdoc Ning Lin, lead author of the study, says knowing the frequency of storm surges may help urban and coastal planners design seawalls and other protective structures.
Planning in advance is always a good thing.
New York City in Line for Dozens of ‘100-Year Floods’ Every Century [TheAtlantic Cities]
Climate Time Machine [NASA/CIT]
