Erosion hits thousands all over Mekong Delta

Land erosion at a preventive forest in Go Cong Dong District, Tien Giang Province. Erosion of earthen sea dykes and land along coasts in coastal provinces such as Tra Vinh, Kieng Giang, and Ca Mau has also been increasing, affecting the lives of thousands of people. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Tri HCM CITY (VNS) — Land erosion is becoming severe in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, affecting the lives of thousands of people. In An Giang, one of the most flooded provinces in the area and the hardest hit by erosion, several cases of erosion have occurred recently....

Vision Prize: scientists are worried the IPCC is underestimating sea level rise

The survey results also show the change in the IPCC estimated climate sensitivity range is not at all reassuring Graph by Stefan Rahmstorf comparing measured sea level rise (red and blue) to previous IPCC estimates (grey and dashed lines), showing sea level rise is happening faster than expected. The Vision Prize is an online survey of scientists about climate risk. It's an impartial and independent research platform for incentivized polling of experts on important scientific issues that are relevant to policymakers. Some of their previous survey results have found that about 90 percent of participating scientists believe that humans are the...

Sea Sickness

We are advocating for the ocean with best intentions and hope. We want to get beyond seasickness to that sustainable place, purged, free, and secure. We know what must be done, but we are not yet aware enough, mad enough, or desperate enough to do enough about it. Doing what I do with the World Ocean Observatory, people often ask me if I am a sailor. I demur, admitting only to owning a boat. I have too much awareness of and respect for real sailors to compare my level of skill. Like many mariners, I get seasick, unless the...

Predicting storm surges: applying state of the art technology

Recent severe flooding around the UK coast is a stark reminder of the risks presented by storm surges – caused by a combination of high tides, winds and low pressure. The impacts on people, property and infrastructure, as recent events in Dawlish illustrate, can be significant. Storm surges, and their potential impacts, need to be understood by coastal managers, affected communities and all those with assets on the coastline. International flood and coastal engineering specialist HR Wallingford has developed SMARTtide, a state of the art tool that can now be used to predict storm surges in UK waters. ...

Southampton trustees sue over post-Sandy bulkheads

Owners of multimillion-dollar Hamptons beachfront homes shouldn't have been allowed to install steel bulkheads and boulders to protect their properties after Superstorm Sandy, town officials said in a recent lawsuit. Southampton Town trustees — elected officials charged with protecting beaches for public benefit — argue that the structures behind at least eight homes erode public beaches and make surrounding dunes more vulnerable during storm surges, Newsday reported Tuesday. The trustees filed the lawsuit Dec. 24 against the Southampton Village government and the state. The suit points to state coastal policies that call for responding to storm damage by...