Two interesting studies were release this week concerning seal
level rise and global warming. The first is particularly
troubling report from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School, showing
the coast line of New Jersey moving inward as much as 480 ft
(Yahoo News Release, Full Study). While sections of Atlantic
City could certainly withstand an architectural refresh, this
seems like a particularly brutal impact for the Garden State.
Some other interesting points raised in the study. - New Jersey
is sinking. The local rate of sea level rise is almost double
the global mean due to land subsidence and sediment compaction.
Still about 70% of sea level rise is due to climate change. -
Between 1% and 3% of NJ Land Area (170 km2 to 442 km2 ) will be
inundated this century. (Reference point: New York City is 800
km2) - Because of a higher base, the average 5 year storm will
produce “100 year floods” with water levels over 10 feet! - Our
tasteless Atlantic City comment aside, the report also forecasts
tremendous economic da