Northeast US Could Receive the Worst of Rising Sea Levels

With rising sea levels a concern for coastal cities, new studies reveal that the Northeastern United States could see the worst rises from the melting ice caps - threatening cities' (like New York and Boston) infrastructures.

A new study on the melting ice caps and the worrisome rise in global sea levels has cause for great concern for the Northeastern United states. While the study predicts a three foot rise in global ocean levels by 2100, caused chiefly by man-made global warming, an extra 8 inches can be tacked on to the North Atlantic coast.

However much the oceans rise by the end of the century, add an extra 8 inches or so for New York, Boston and other spots along the coast from the mid-Atlantic to New England. That's because of predicted changes in ocean currents, according to a study based on computer models published online Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Why the sea level rise will be uneven involves the ocean currents that push warm water from the tropics towards the North Atlantic. As the caps melt, the influx of water from the Arctic Ocean will slow the global water currents down; the study used the comparison of the water currents to a conveyor belt system.

Computer models forecast that as climate change continues, there will be a slowdown of the great ocean conveyor belt. That system moves heat energy in warm currents from the tropics to the North Atlantic and pushes the cooler, saltier water down, moving it farther south around Africa and into the Pacific. As the conveyor belt slows, so will the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic current. Those two fast-running currents have kept the Northeast's sea level unusually low because of a combination of physics and geography.

This news is especially dangerous for Northeastern coastal cities, whose subway systems, buildings, and coastline developments aren't designed to take a rise of nearly four feet of water. During hurricanes and nor'easter storms, the level of flooding could be catastrophic, and have the possibility to displace over 10 million people. For those in Boston, where predictions are the most bleak, experts warn that the city could face a vulnerability situation similar to that of New Orleans.