There's been debate over whether volcanic activity in the Canary Islands could cause a 150ft tidal wave that would cause enough damage on the east coast that long term sea rises would have little left to do: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatsunami#Canary_Islands" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megatsunami#Canary_Islands</a>
As Sandy made clear, it's not just <i>persistent</i> rises in sea level, but the frequency and extent of <i>intermittent</i> rises as a consequence of cyclonic storms or inland flooding and watershed drainage which are likely to have significant impacts.<p>My understanding of carbon and warming predictions is that we've trended toward the highest (most extreme and dangerous) ends of forecast ranges, which suggests that the higher seawater rises might be more appropriately used in disaster planning. And adding a few feet to storm surge, and increasing frequency of high-surge events, would be disruptive enough if not quite so much as a persistent 5-10 foot rise in sea levels.
By then we won't care<p><a href="http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/03/sea_level_rise_barely_30cm_by_2100/" rel="nofollow">http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/03/sea_level_rise_barel...</a>
1. Set up a booth outside Yankee Stadium, display the Boston map, and sell coal-powered anything.<p>2. Repeat at Fenway Park with the NY map.<p>3. Profit!
could = may or may not<p>what's the aim of the article which claims that something may or may not happen? Of course besides to scary people of 'global warming' or how it is nowadays called, because scientists are not sure if the temperature is going up or down, 'global changes'? And of course, when people are scared, they'll pay whatever money to ecoterrorists to save 'the environment'
Interesting just how little this matters to San Francisco (they'd need to put a wall around SFO, OAK, and maybe SJC, and not sure about the parts of Mountain View and Menlo Park where tech offices are).<p>Unfortunate that DC doesn't have more flooding planned.
I can't remember the exact figures, but Bjorn Lomborg has argued that during the 19th century sea levels around New York rose by tens of feet, to no great impact.
The New Orleans projections <i>assume</i> a levee breach.<p>"If levees breach, almost all of the city would flood. The surrounding region is also mostly flooded."