The weather is warming, ice caps are melting, and we’re all basically screwed.
That’s the basic, highly unscientific premise of climate change and global warming, right? Unless we can reverse a century and change worth of fossil fuel damage to the ozone, or find a way to move to Mars, humanity will die a slow, very hot death.
But perhaps there’s another side effect of climate change, as suggested by a new study.
Per NPR:
“The study, published Tuesday in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, looked at nearly a century’s worth of data, and found that the average height of winter waves have grown by about a foot since 1969. The number of storm events that produced waves greater than 13 feet in height has also increased, the study found.”
The post you see above – also from NPR – shows a record-breaking ocean temperature reading from the other side of the country; Florida waters hit a staggering 101 degrees.
But back on the west coast, while temperatures aren’t quite as hot in the water, scientists are seeing a rise in wave height, as the study suggests.
“This is just another indication that overall average wave heights have increased significantly since 1970 — since the advent of the upward trend in global warming,” said Peter Bromirski, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the study’s author.
Although, bigger waves also may come with bigger problems.
“Higher waves with higher sea levels allows more wave energy to reach vulnerable sea cliffs and also enhances coastal flooding as well as damage to coastal infrastructure,” said Bromirski.
According to NPR:
“By the turn of this century, federal estimates warn nearly three-quarters of California’s picturesque beaches may be completely eroded by rising seas. A report by California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office found that between $8 and $10 billion worth of existing property is likely to be underwater within the next few decades, with an additional $6 to $10 billion worth of property at risk during high tides.”
So, the waves might get bigger as we delve deeper into climate change, but the beaches might not be there to surf…or at least, they’ll be in different places, like inland.
New surf spot in the 909?
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