According to the Third National Climate Assessment, nearly 5 million people in the coastal U.S. live within 4 ft. of their local high-tide level, and global sea levels are predicted to rise by up to 6.6 ft. by 2100 compared to 1992 measurements. Extreme weather events such as hurricanes, which bring with them flooding, are increasing in frequency and causing
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The Arctic has traditionally been a region where cooperation has been common between nations. Its significance on the world’s geopolitical map is changing, however, as global warming leads to increased ice melt, thus reducing barriers to maritime navigation. Less ice means more shipping traffic and better access to resources, most notably, oil and gas. China, despite not having any
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Volvo Ocean Race, 2018—The toughest sailing race in the world will reach Auckland, New Zealand at the end of the month, and during this year’s event—the 13th edition of the round-the-world race—the yachts are equipped with scientific instruments that are monitoring the oceans’ health and collecting meteorological data. When the sailors of the seven high-tech racing yachts arrive in Auckland,
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As a result of increased shipping traffic in Arctic waters, the international Maritime Organization received a proposal from the United States and the Russian Federation to establish a system of two-way routes for ships to follow through the Bering Sea and Bering Strait. The proposal includes six two-way routes and six precautionary areas off the coast of Chukotskiy Peninsula and
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Scientists have developed a computer simulation tool to predict short-term flood hazards on coral-reef-lined coasts and to assess longer-term impacts from climate change. The assessments will provide input that helps estimate societal or economic risk and damage from such flooding. The tool can be used to play “what-if” games and ask questions such as, “how will flood risk change if
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Ocean “dead zones” — regions of the sea where oxygen is severely or entirely depleted and most forms of life can’t survive — are becoming more numerous, and scientists warn that they will continue to increase unless we curb the factors driving global climate change, which is fueling this alarming shift in ocean chemistry. Even outside these near-lifeless ocean regions, rising
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