| || | Ask Marilyn: Sandy and Rising Sea Level Donald Lilley of
Boulder, Colorado, writes: Marilyn: While your comments about
Sandy were informative, they didn't include the most significant
link between the storm and global warming. (January 20, 2013)
Sandy was the largest storm ever to make landfall in the U.S. in
terms of size (1,000 miles in diameter) and total energy. The
enormity of both measures was generated by a rise in sea surface
temperatures, about 5 degrees F above normal over much of
Sandy?s route. Sea level rise over the last century (about a
foot) contributed to the storm's damage; by the year 2100, the
sea level rise at New York City is forecast by the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to be more than three
feet. Our little blue ball is heating up; the consequences will
be unpleasant. Thank you, Donald. I did mention the sea level
rise, but I considered the warmer-than-average coastal waters to
be a weather condition, not a global warming condition.