As the planet gets warmer
ice on land melts seal levels rise. This is a particular problem here in
Florida where a great percentage of our population lives only a few feet above
sea level. This exercise will help you understand the implications of a warming
planet with rising seas.
Go to the website
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Under the
Risk Finder menu, choose your state (must be a state by the coast…if you do not
live in a state by the coast, use Florida) and then enter your zip code (use
zip code 33765…SPC Clearwater campus). You will see a map of your area with a five-foot
rise in sea level; move it down to one
foot. Scroll down this page until you
find the name of the nearest water level station. (5 points)
Using the same page as above, what would be the projected sea level rise + mid flood level height
for this area for the year 2020? To do this, choose the drop down menu under
the title “What Are the Risks” (5 points)
Click on
the Census 2010 link and find your county. What is its total population? You will need to find the 2010 Census Data,
scroll down to the interactive map and click on your state and then hover your
mouse over your county to get the total population. (5 points)
Back to
the Surging Seas website (same page as used in questions 1 and 2), how many
people in your zip code would be affected by this one foot rise and what
percentage of the population do they constitute? (Click on “Total” to change
the values to percentages) (5 points)
Go back
to the original page where you entered your zip code and enter your county (use
Pinellas if you do not live in a coastal area). How many people in your county
would be affected by this one-foot rise and what percentage of the population
do they constitute? (Click on “Total” to change the values to percentages) (5
points)
Move the
indicator arrow on the water level bar up to the five-foot mark – a possible
indicator of what your area might look like by 2100. Observe what happens to
your county! How many people might now be affected in your area by this
five foot rise and what percentage of the population do they constitute? (5
points)
Scrolling
down, how many people in your county are considered to have a high social
vulnerability to this type of sea level rise? (5 points)
What is
the property value of the land below 5 feet? Click on “Buildings” under “What
Is at Risk”. (5 points)
Now move
the indicator arrow on the water level bar all the way up to the 10 foot mark –
a real possibility if the melting of the ice sheets of Greenland or Antarctica
accelerates. Which area of your local
map is most impacted? (5 points)
How many
people might now be affected in your county by this ten foot rise and what
percentage of the population do they constitute? (5 points)
How much
land (in acres) in your county is below 10 feet? Back under “What Is at Risk”
and click “Land”. (5 points)
How many
miles of roads are below 10 feet? Back under “What Is at Risk” and click
“Infrastructure”. (5 points)
At any
of these sea level rises, would you be impacted where you live? Why or why
not? (5 points)
Since
1880, approximately how much has the global average absolute sea level risen? (5
points)
What
are the two main causes of global sea level rise? (5
points)
Click on
the second figure on this website. Using your area (use Pinellas if not by a
coastal area), what has the relative sea level change been since 1960? (5 points)
Using
what you know about Florida and its karst geology, what part of it would
experience the greatest increase in flood risk due to global warming? Why? (5
points)
