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SNOW TODAY BUT GOVERNMENT RESEARCHSER ARE FOCUSING ON THE COAST, CALLING A NEW ROREPT ON RISING SEA LEVELS A GLOBAL WAKE-UP CALL. BOSTON HARBOR IS EXPECTED TO RISE ABOUT A FOOT AND A HALINF THE NEXT 30 YEARS. THAT’S THE FINDING OF A NEW REPORT RELEASED BY THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION THIS EKWE. WE ARE TARGETING OUR CHANGING CLIMATE AS PART OF A NEW INITIATIVE CALLED FORECASTING OUR FUTURE. SO LET’S BRING IN PROFESSOR ROB DECONTO. GOOD MORNING. YOU ARE A CLIMEAT SCIENTIST EXRTPE AND YOU ARE FOCUSING ON SEALEVEL RISE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. HE IS JOINING US FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS-AMHERST. AN EYE-OPENING REPORT. HOWIW LL THAT RISE IMPACT US? >> A FOOT HIGHER SEA LEVEL THEN TODAY MEANS THAT EVERYIM TE THERE’S A VERY HIGH TIDE ORE W HA AVE VERY BIG NOR’EASTER EVENT OR TROPICAL SYSTEM, STORM SURGE WILL BE MUCH WORSE. THERE WILL BE MORE LAND THAT BECOMES INUNDATED, AND IT IS NOT JUST THE MAGNITUDEF O THE FLOOD EVENTS BUT THEY WILL HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY. >> HOW FAST IS THE SEA LEVEL RISING? >> THE TREND IS SOMEWHAT ALARMING.IT IS ACCELERATING . SO SEA LEVEL IS RISING IN BOSTON HARBOR ABOUT 5.5 MILLIMETERS PER YEAR, ABOUT .2 INCHES PEREA YR, SO A COUPLE INCHES PER DECADE. THAT DOES NOT SOUND LIKE MUCH, BUT THAT’S TCEWI THE PACE OF SEA LEVEL RISE THAN 100 YEARS AGO, FOR EXAMPLE, D,AN AGAIN, EVERY YEAR THAT ESGO BY, THAT IS INCREASING FASTER AND FASTER. >> THAT IS UNFORTUNATE. A LOT OF PEOPLE ASSOCIATE COASTAL FLOODING WITH STORMS, BUT WE SEE THAT SOMETIMES ALREADY THAT WE GET COASTAL FLOODING WITHOUT STORMS, FAIRWEATHER FLOODING. DOES THIS SUGGEST WE WILL SEE MORE OF THIS ISSUE? >>OR F SURE. IT WAS AROUND 2011 WAS THE FIRST TIME WE HAD A DOCUMENTED CLEAR SKY FLOOD EVENT ALONGHE T WHARF, THE AQUARIUM AREA. BY 2017, I THINK, IT HAPPENED MORE THAN 20 TIMES IN ONE YEAR, SO THERE’S GOING TO BE AN ACCELERATION IN THE NUMBER OF THEES EVENTS, AND THAT IS IMPACTFUL NOT JUST THE DIRECT IMPACTS OF THE FLOODING BUT THERE NCA BE OTHER CASCADING EFFECTS. FOR EXAMPLE, EVERY TIME SALTWATER FLOODS LAND AREAS, IT IMPACTS GROUNDWATER, DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES. IT IMPTSAC WASTEWATER. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF IMPACTS THAT ARE NOT JUST THE OBVIOUS FLOODING WE THINK OF WHEN WE THINK OF A BIG STORM SURGE A HIGH TIDE FLOOD. >> IT IS SO TRUE. IT IS BEYOND WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SURFACE. WITH ALL THIS SAID, WHATRE A COASTAL COMMUNITIES GOING TO HAVE TO DO TO HANDLE THIS RISING WATER? >> YOU KNOW,T IIS VERY TRICKY BECAUSE, ON A 30 YEAR TIMEFRAME, THE SCIENCE HAS BECOME SETTLED. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL REPORTS PUBLISD INHE THE LAST FEW YEARS HONING IN ON THAT ROUGHLY ONE FOOT NUMBER FOR 2050. WHEN WE GO BEYOND 2050, WHICH IS STILL WITHIN THE LIFESPAN OF INFRASTRUCTURE, BUILDINGS, DEVELOPMENTS, THE NUMBERS BECOME VERY, VERY UNCERTAIN. THE RANGES CAN BE VERY, VERY HIGH. THE TOP END ESTIMATES, FOR EXAME,PL IN THE YEAR 2100, SO NOT THAT LONG AWAY FMRO NOW, ABOUT 80 YEARS, ARE AS MUCH AS 18 FEET IN SOME CASES, SO BECAUSE OF THAT HUGE UNCERTAINTY, I THINK WE NEED TO BE THINKING ALONG TWO LINES. ONE, THERE’S A FOOT OF SEALEVEL BAKED INTO THE NEXT FEW DADECES. WE NEED TO PLAN FOR THAT NOW. BEYOND 2050,E W NEED TO BE ABLE TO ADAPT TO THE POTENTIAL FOR MUCH, MUCH HIGHER ASE LEVELS, SO WHATEVER PLANNING WE DO, INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE BUILD, IT NEEDS TO BE ADAPTAB,LE YOU KW,NO WITH THE CONSIDERATION THAT SEALEVEL COULD BE VERY, VERY HIGH. >> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU BROUGHT A LOT OF INFORMATIO

Eye-opening NOAA report on rising sea levels ‘a global wake-up call’

Updated: 10:27 AM EST Feb 19, 2022

The new report from NOAA finds that Boston Harbor is expected to rise by about a foot-and-a-half in the next 30 years.

BOSTON —

The new report from NOAA finds that Boston Harbor is expected to rise by about a foot-and-a-half in the next 30 years.