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Ready for Rising Waters?
December 2010 • Volume 9, Number 4
Michael W. Fincham
The most devastating hurricane of the 20th century to hit the Chesapeake Bay was the "August Storm" that hit in 1933. The next storm to cause as much damage was Hurricane Isabel in September 2003. Matching the fury and flooding of 1933 throughout the Tidewater region, Isabel raised questions and fears about future storms. What kind of extreme weather is coming and where is it going to hit? As the planet warms and sea levels rise in the Chesapeake Bay, what can current science now say about the storm next time? more . . .
Erica Goldman
Projections forecast over a foot of sea level rise in the next 50 years. A one-foot rise in sea level translates to a one-foot rise in flood level. Rising water will also intensify coastal flood and storm surge events. Hurricane Isabel already brought a 6-to-8-foot storm surge to Maryland's coasts. Add sea level rise on top of warming impacts and houses on the coast grow more vulnerable each year. This article chronicles the effects of Isabel on homes in Dorchester County and follows the struggle over how to prepare for future floods. more . . .
A group of "Climate Partners" gathered this fall for a kick-off meeting. Their collective goal: to "prepare local communities to adapt to and confront the impacts of climate change." more . . . |
After more than six years with Maryland Sea Grant, science writer Erica Goldman is leaving to become an assistant director at the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS). more . . . |
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