What will really happen when the sea rises

[Andy Hamilton]

Been looking around at various predicitions about sea levels. It would appear that even after conservative estimates many of the major cities (in UK) will be at least partly underwater or at least suffer flooding.

What I am trying to work out is what will really happen, I mean the prime real estate in London for example will surley be protected as it will in Cardiff, Doncaster and other cities. This must mean that the flood defences will only divert the flooding elsewhere perhaps making it much, much worse than predicted for some areas. Will offices win over housing, will fields be the first to go?

[wulf]

My guess is that people living on hills will be happier than people living in valleys....

Wulf

[Andy Hamilton]

My guess is that people living on hills will be happier than people living in valleys....

Wulf

I think you are right, I wonder how until the house prices will reflect that?

[pskipper]

I suspect a lot of Dutch civil engineers will become very rich!

[shiney]

Some properties where I live get flooded everytime the river overflows int the town. I doubt if the insurers want to cover them any more!

Hill properties will probably be very desirable.

[Stonehead]

We deliberately bought our croft above the 200m contour.

[Muddypause]

We deliberately bought our croft above the 200m contour.

Ya reckon the sea will rise that much?

Strewth, it's worse than I thought.

[Martin]

lumme! - I felt reasonably safe 200 FEET above sea level!
I don't think it's a question of "if", but "when" a UK town or city becomes the UK's New Orleans - perhaps the government may actually do something when the Thames is lapping about halfway up the Houses of Parliament!
-and if you've been listening to today's news about ice caps, it'll be sooner rather than later!

[Joe]

This is a fascinating (if somewhat scary) Google Earth hack to show the effects of sea level rises up to 14m - supposedly how high they will rise after the collapse of the Greenland & West Antarctic ice sheets: http://flood.firetree.net/

[Scrake]

Joe, that map is indeed scary. I have a medium term plan to move out of the city to somewhere higher, but may be in for a wetting.

Does anybody know if cities with weirs on their rivers will do any better? Belfast has the Lagan Weir which claims it can help protect the city in the event of flooding. Does this just redirect water elsewhere? Anybody know?

[Stonehead]

lumme! - I felt reasonably safe 200 FEET above sea level!

That's what I thought initially, but aftter talking to a few people I found that rising sea levels will have far more effect than submerging some coastal areas.

Rising sea levels will mean the creation of new wetlands and marshes, erosion in new areas, accelerated erosion in others, intensified flooding and, very significantly, dramatic changes in the groundwater tables (increased salinity being the obvious outcome).

On top of that, people will be looking to relocate to higher ground themselves, governments will put in sea defences that cause environmental effects elsewhere, local climates will change significantly, there will be effects on crop germination, crop pests, birds, diseases, the works.

I dont expect anything to happen tomorrow (famous last words), but we want a place for the long-term, and a place that can also support our boys should that be necessary or their choice.

So, as with many other things, I like to use Seventh Generation Thinking - which means thinking about the effects of our actions on the seven generations (or about 150 years) ahead of us. It's also why I plant oaks. am giving up one of the cars for a trike, and all sorts of other things.

[red]

you haven't allowed for the compulsory purchase of your land, to relocate all the poor souls who did not think 7 generations ahead.

[Andy Hamilton]

So, as with many other things, I like to use Seventh Generation Thinking - which means thinking about the effects of our actions on the seven generations (or about 150 years) ahead of us. It's also why I plant oaks. am giving up one of the cars for a trike, and all sorts of other things.

I like that way of thinking too, was it not employed by some of the native American tribes? It seems that these days we do not think within our own lifetime for the effects of our actions.

THe reason that I swtiched to green electricity was due to 7th generation thinking I noticed that a proportion of my electrcity was coming from nuclear power. I did not want to be part of that. If and when I get a plot of land then you can't go far wrong than to look into future preductions of what will effect that spot. The trouble is that as the country gets smaller what will the govenment do? They can compolsury purchase land, will they do this with land that will be ok such as yours stoney? - I think we can plan as much as possible for future outcomes but when it comes down to it we can never be 100% safe.

[Stonehead]

when it comes down to it we can never be 100% safe.

That's why I can build a trebuchet and have a very, very large rock pile...

[dibnah]

I do admit that when / if I am ever in a position to move to another house it is always in the back of my mind the possible sea level changes in the short term. Although thinking about it you could leave a house to your great great grandchildren thats well above the sea level but if all the local amenities are cut off and you are left stranded there realy seems no point . I think that by the time it came to that sort of situation I may have moved.

Keep a boat handy