Environment

New York Flood Risk to Grow as Weaker Currents Raise Sea Level

by Barbara McPherson | March 16, 2009 at 09:19 am

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New York City could face flooding as circulation in the Atlantic changes.
Global warming may change ocean currents in the Atlantic causing a 51 cm (20 inch) rise in sea levels.
For much of the low lying city, this could create flooding problems.

March 16 (Bloomberg) -- The Big Apple faces a greater flood risk over the next century as weaker Atlantic currents raise sea levels on the U.S. East Coast by more than in London or Tokyo.

Global warming will alter Atlantic Ocean circulation in a way that will move more water to New York by 2100, Florida State University-led scientists said in a study in Nature Geoscience today

As Earth's climate warms, the warmer water expands taking up more room. Another worry is the melting ice sheets at the poles which would contribute further to the flooding problem.

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