Scientist: Barrier islands could be unlivable in 50 years

TOMS RIVER, N.J. — Much of this country's barrier islands will be under water in 50 years because of climate change, according to a University of Miami professor and expert on sea-level rise.....chairman of the university's Department of Geological Sciences.

"Most of the barrier islands of the world will become largely inhabitable" within 50 years, he said, using the U.S. government's Official projections.

Wanless, whom some in the media have dubbed "Dr. Doom," believes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is underestimating the onset of "a rapid pulse of sea level rise" — perhaps as much as 30 feet by the end of century, or 4.5x the official projection.

"I think by the middle of the century people are going to become afraid of the (Jersey) Shore," he said during a November conference by the Institute on Science for Global Policy here. "Right now, it's where we all want to live."
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Wanless had three main points in his presentation:

1. Stop thinking you have time

"(Sea level rise) is not something that is going to be stoppable at 2 feet or 3 feet or 5 feet. There are some people who go around saying, 'Well, if we start behaving, it's going to get better.' It's not. We warmed the ocean," he said. "This is going to keep happening through this century and well beyond." Warm water in the North Atlantic and Arctic has been thawing polar ice around Greenland since about 1995, Wanless said.
"Even if we stopped burning fossil fuels tomorrow, the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will keep warming the atmosphere for at least another 30 years," he wrote in a policy paper.

2. Stop spending money on sand and sea walls
"It's really throwing money in the ocean when we do beach renourishment with accelerated sea level rising," Wanless said
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3. Set — and stick to — rules on new development and rebuilding
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There are areas that will be unlivable and properties that will be unsalable within a 30-year mortgage cycle all along the Atlantic coast," he wrote.
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mbig said:

I don't feel the headline is even that controversial. It's based on official US Govt predictions.

But his sea level prediction (30' by 2100) is well above the mean, and the Highest I've ever seen. "Dr Doom". About 2-3x even my High-side opinion.
He believes even if we stopped adding CO2 now, it's too late, and Sea Level would still rise throughout the century. I agree with that too, alas. But in case he's wrong, cutting CO2 emissions might be Wise in any case, and might help prevent even steeper rise.
Greenland alone melting (neither pole), would add 20' to sea level. And Greenland IS melting. The rate/rate of acceleration is in dispute.
20' would not only submerge barrier Islands, but good parts or entireties of Some the World's biggest cities. NY, Boston, Miami, Shanghai (8'), London, etc, etc.

Scientist: Barrier islands could be unlivable in 50 years
K Russ Zimmer, Asbury Park (N.J.) Press - via USA Today
January 2, 2016
Scientist: Barrier islands could be unlivable in 50 years

A good non-political test:
Would you write a 30 yr mortgage on a Miami Beach, Jersey Shore, etc, property Now or 20 years fom now?
I wouldn't.

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