Potential Climate Change Impacts

Coastal Impacts

Sea Level change is due to two different processes:

Thermal expansion of sea-water: 40-80 mm by 2025
Melting of ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica: 0.6-1.0°C 40-80 mm sea level rise by 2025

Over half of the human population lives within 100 km of the sea -> severe economical impact.

Impact on Coastal Areas

Along much of the US coast, sea levels have risen 10-12 inches in the last century
Sandy beaches would be eroded 100-150 feet with a 1-foot rise in sea-level in 2100
The projected global sea level rise of 20 inches (6-38 inches) by 2100:

Inundate 5,000 squares of dryland
Drown 15-60 percent of our coastal wetlands

Some states will experience greater increases in sea level (over 4 feet in Louisiana)

U.S. East Coast if West sheet melted (17-foot rise) U.S. East Coast if East sheet melted (170-foot rise)

Florida if West sheet melted (17-foot rise) Florida if East sheet melted (170-foot rise)

Andrea Hahmann
http://www.atmo.arizona.edu/students/classlinks/fall02/atmo336/lectures/sec6/coastal.html

Last modified: Thu Dec 5 13:36:19 MST 2002


U.S. East Coast if West sheet melted (17-foot rise)	U.S. East Coast if East sheet melted (170-foot rise)

Florida if West sheet melted (17-foot rise)	Florida if East sheet melted (170-foot rise)