Rising Seas

latitude 37.6876, longitude -122.237

At the United Nations Climate Conference in Bali this week more than 2-hundred leading scientists issued a warning. They say that if immediate action is not taken, millions of people will be at risk from extreme events such as heat waves and floods. Here in California scientists say that as the climate warms and polar ice melts, coastal sea levels could easily rise by another three feet by the end of this century. That would have a dramatic impact on San Francisco Bay, as Craig Miller reports.

Duration: 05:45
Original Air Date: Thursday, Dec 6, 2007
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More by Topic: Weather, Environment
More by Location: Santa Cruz County, All Bay Area

USGS Report on Sea Level Rising

Dr. Eric Grossman, Geologist US Geological Survey, Santa Cruz, CA keeps an eye on the ocean for the US Geological Survey. He says the latest data from tide gauges and satellites show the global sea level rising more than an inch every six years or so. But the rate is accelerating and most scientists now concede that the rise here in California could be more like an inch every two years. Grossman has made his detailed finding available here for download.
slr-kqed-grossman.pdf (24.1 MB)

 

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