* Storm damage can affect coastal properties. This is especially made obvious when buildings are constructed on sand dunes. When the sand is taken, the result on the houses is catastrophic.…
The photo above was taken in Pensacola Beach, Florida in May 2017 at just about sunset at 7:23 PM. As you can see from the picture, there is very little beach left in Pensacola. One reason is linked to rising sea levels from global warming of the Earth’s climate system. New ocean water from melting reservoirs of ice could potentially raise the sea level as much as 3 feet by the year 2100 (Florida Oceans and Coastal Council). Increased water temperatures are also linked to increased hurricane activity, which has the potential to cause severe damage to the coastline. As you can see from picture 2, the beach area is much smaller after hurricane Ivan came through. Buildings damaged from hurricanes had to be relocated and replaced and others will…
It is just like a cup of soda with ice. Over time the ice melts into the soda which make the soda watered down. The same rules apply; the ice caps are the ice and the ocean is the soda. The ice caps break off from the mainland, then drop into the ocean and melt, adding more water. Sea levels rise about .13 inches a year according to the National Geographic website. That does not sound to alarming does it? Well over the past century the ocean has rose 4 to 8 feet. Also the CBS Miami website says with the way sea levels are rising not just Miami, but all of south florida will be under water by 2025. With air pollution contributing to rising sea levels everybody in south Florida is in…
Jacksonville, Florida’s largest city, experienced major flooding when the St Johns river reached record high levels.Major Lenny Curry said the Irma’s, even though is no longer a hurricane, storm surge hit northeast Florida like a category 3 hurricane.He also said the over 350 people had to be rescued due to serious flooding.After Irma millions were left without power throughout Florida and the state of 20.6 is only beginning to assess and repair the damage.…
Chapter Twenty focuses on coastlines and ocean basins. While learning about tides, surf zones, and waves, the “Earth Policy” on page 562 was eye-catching. The Great New Orleans Flood occurred after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Even though New Orleans had been struck by Hurricane Katrina, the damage and fatalities were adding up.…
The Florida Everglades has given about 7 million Floridians water for many years. This subtropical area has been home to many living creatures, some that don’t even exist anymore. However the Florida Everglades is a very delicate place. Some causes for extreme changes in the Everglades are Humans and their construction, not enough money for changes, and that the smallest things can change and negatively affect the water.…
Dr. William Merrell is President of Texas A&M Galveston and Assistant Director National Science foundation also teaches Master of Marines Resources Management Program. After Hurricane Ike, he was able to see firsthand the destruction not from the Hurricane itself, from the water surge that it produced. Dr. Merrell and other colleague began researching how to protect the coastal region from a storm surge. The team came up with a similar project in the Netherlands built to protect their coastal regions. It is Texas Storm…
Florida is part of the “Atlantic-Gulf Coastal Plain.” This huge region of land reaches across the coast from New Jersey to southern Texas. The Atlantic Coastal Plain of Florida covers the entire eastern part of the state. It is a truncated, smooth plain stretching from 30 to 100 miles in thickness. This is one of the three main land regions in Florida. The other two are the East Gulf Coastal Plain and the Florida Uplands.…
A hurricane is when the winds in a tropical depression rotate counterclockwise at more than seventy-seven miles per hour.…
During the Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it is believed that leaders decided to blow up the levees to save the cities and places that brought in the most money and instead try to direct the water towards the wetlands and marshlands. There are different ideas regarding this topic. It is said that leaders promised restitution to the people who would lose their homes. Many people heard explosions and reported it. Officials said they were transformers blowing up. There is more evidence that the levees were blown up then transformers.…
Water, It is an important element for the Everglades’ to survive and for any living animal. The Everglades requirement of water differs depending on time of the year. The Everglades are delicate, netherless can be changed easily. The most direct water way, is the rain, the Everglades get large amounts of its water from rainfall, about 60 inches of water per year. Due to wetland loss and lowering of water tables, lead to reducement of freshwater flow and increment of salt in the water in the estuaries which destroy natural water storage in areas. Without freshwater canals, many species would not be able to move into larger waterways. To repair the fresh water canals the South Florida Natural Recourse Center is providing more fresh and clean water into the River of Grass.…
The Florida Everglades is a wetland ecosystem located in Southern Florida. It is home to a numerous amount of plants and animals. The Everglades faces many problems, such as invasive species and pollution. Not only do the plants and animals that live there benefit from the Everglades, but humans do too. It is important that the Florida Everglades remains a healthy ecosystem. The Florida Everglades has biodiversity, it benefits humans, and it houses many endangered species.…
What do you do when mid-latitude cyclones get larger, strong frontal winds are more frequent, and waves and currents get stronger? How can we control high waves and storm surges that drive more sediment transport, permanently changing the coast? Coastal dunes, of all shapes and sizes, are are dense enough to prevent rapid and significant changes. The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 specifically calls for the creation and enhancement of dunes in the coastal zone. There is increasing recognition of the variety of dune features that exist at the coast and the interplay between the beach and coastal dunes. The measurements of sand gains and losses in the dunes and the flows of sediment from the beach to the dune have been practiced along many shorelines. The research has led to a series of site-specific descriptions and categorizations of dune types and their interaction with local dynamics. In 2011, the Congress spent 56 million dollars supporting such projects (Coastal Zone Management, 2008). Some of the projects include dune stabilization, the mining and study of dune composition, sand fencing, and beach nourishment. Jetties and groins are being built to capture sand that would normally have been washed miles away. These methods are used all over the world and they help to prevent accelerated shoreline alterations. Preserving the shoreline also protects certain species in the biosphere like Sea Turtles, rare birds, and important plants. These are some of the few wise environmental choices we are making with money these days.…
Why New Orleans is Vulnerable to Hurricanes? Since its founding in 1718, the city of New Orleans and its surrounding areas have been subject to numerous floods from the Mississippi River and hurricanes and other reasons are, its Location near Gulf of Mexico, Low elevation (below sea-level) Subsidence caused by compaction of river deposited sediments, erosion of inactive delta lobe, sea-level rise due to global warming . A series of levees and other flood control structures built over the years were expected to greatly reduce that threat. The greatest natural threat posed to the New Orleans and south Louisiana area continues to be from hurricane induced storm surges, which is caused by human with Coastal Erosion accelerated by the changes made to the river system. The coastline of Louisiana is eroding at an incredible rate, estimated at 25 square miles per year. (1 football field of area every 45 minutes)…
The sea level has been rising globally for the past 10,000 years before anthropologic influence, but due to large amounts of CO2 release the sea level is now rising rapidly. The warming of global temperatures over the past century that continues to grow with time causes this rise in sea level. Because of this growing global temperature, the ice caps are melting rapidly and will continue to melt at a faster rate. “…Even if we could stabilize concentrations of GHGs, we are already committed to significant warming and sea level rise no matter what scenario we follow (Gerald A. Meehl et al).” At this point, it would be impossible to avoid increased sea levels due to this melting. This melting means that many areas of low elevation will experience major flooding. Sea levels could rise by several meters in the next 100 years, leading to major land loss. Flooding can also lead to declines or shifts to local fisheries, leading to possible protein shortages in poorer populations, leading to famine. This could put many lives in jeopardy and could alter many coastal ecosystems, leading to loss of coastal infrastructure, coastal erosion, loss of human life, and the extinction of several species unable to adapt or move to another adequate…