Transcript Rising Sea Levels: New York City

Rising Sea Levels: New York City
Andrea Sunara
Global Warming
 Global climate change
is a direct cause of the
changes in atmospheric
composition caused by
humans, especially due
to emission of carbon
dioxide and other
greenhouse gases
Rise in Sea Levels
 An effect of climate change and global
warming is the rise in sea levels due to the
melting of the ice sheets and glaciers.
 With increases in ocean temperatures and
the melting of the ice sheets, rising sea
levels could lead to alteration of much of
the world’s coastline
New York City
 The New York City area has more than 2400 km
of shoreline susceptible to the rising sea levels.
 In NYC the sea level rate has been rising at a rate
of about 2.73 mm per year
 The greater NYC area encloses a system of
waterways that are affected by tides and the
weather. Much of the greater New York region is
not even three meters above sea level.
It Has Happened Before
 Hurricane Donna flooded a large part of downtown Manhattan
in 1960 with 10-foot high tides. The water was hip deep at the
corner of Vesey and West Sts. where the W.T.C. was later
built.
• The Ash Wednesday
nor’easter that hit New York
City March 6-7, 1962 was
especially damaging because
it lasted for five tidal cycles
and caused over 2.1 meters of
flooding, particularly in lower
Manhattan’s Battery area.
New York City Subway
 Rising sea levels would be damaging to the New York
City subway system due to flooding.
 Heavy rains already can flood the NYC subway, yet
alone a heavy storm and high sea levels.
New York City was ranked second for the most total economic loss
that would be caused if a hurricane hit.
Lower Manhattan is most at risk of flooding due
to rising sea levels and potential storms.
The next set of slides are screen
shots of lower Manhattan being
affected by the rising sea levels.
(If you click through them fast it looks like an animation)
Some Pictures
From “The Day
After Tomorrow”