That sinking feeling: Washington D.C.鈥檚 sea level problem
The ground underneath Washington D.C. could聽drop by six or more inches聽in the next century, scientists find.
What does this mean for the nation鈥檚 capital?
The falling land聽will 鈥渆xacerbate the flooding the city faces from rising ocean waters due to a warming climate and melting ice sheets 鈥� accelerating the threat to the region鈥檚 monuments, roads, wildlife refuges, and military installations,鈥� according to a from the University of Vermont, which led the research alongside the US Geological Survey.
It鈥檚 questionable as to how much can be done to minimize the risk.
The researchers found the land sinking is 鈥渘ot primarily driven by human influence, such as groundwater withdrawals, but instead is a聽long-term geological process that will continue unabated for tens of thousands of years, independent from human land use or climate change.鈥�
But researchers find the urgency of the situation requires action.
鈥淩ight now is the time to start making preparations,鈥� said study lead author Ben DeJong, according to the release. 鈥淪ix extra inches of water really matters in this part of the world.鈥�
The field study analyzed data from the drilling of 70 boreholes around Chesapeake Bay, many over 100 feet deep, and found land under the bay is sinking rapidly.
The Washington Post notes the simultaneous occurrences of sinking and climate change could mean the Chespeake Bay鈥檚 sea level rise will聽聽by the end of the century.
However necessary scientific initiatives are, they will still need to cross political hurdles.
鈥淚t鈥檚 ironic that the nation's capital鈥攖he place least responsive to the dangers of climate change鈥攊s sitting in one of the worst spots it could be in terms of this land subsidence,鈥� said Paul Bierman, a UVM geologist and the senior author on the new paper, according to the press release.
DC isn鈥檛 the only city at risk of serious flooding. 海角大神 recently reported on a study published Monday that found that聽storm surge, high rainfall, and rising sea levels聽put all low-lying US coastal cities at risk of devastating floods.
As Thomas Wahl, the leader of that study pointed out,聽鈥淣early 40 percent of the US population resides in coastal counties,鈥�
