Scientists Report Abnormal Sea Level Rises Off Western Australia
By Phil Mercer
Sydney
09 November 2009
Scientists say that along the coast of Western Australia sea levels are rising at a rate double that of the world average.
Statistics from Australia's National Tidal Center show sea levels have increased by 8.6 millimeters a year off Perth and by 8.1 off the tropical Kimberley region over the past two decades. The global average is a rise of just over three millimeters.
For much of the past century there were average global increases of 1.7 millimeters a year, but that rate doubled between 1993 and 2007. Some regions, notably Western Australia have suffered more than others, partly, scientists say, because of how gravitational pull affects tides.
Scientists at CSIRO, Australia's government-funded scientific research institute, say that climate change has played a role in the increase. Warmer temperatures cause water to expand, a phenomenon called thermal expansion, and cause glaciers and polar ice caps to melt.
Climatologists say that greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide from burning oil and coal, contribute significantly to global warming.
John Church is a researcher at CSIRO.
"I think the fact that sea levels are rising is a major reason for concern and it's a combination of the global average rise together with the natural variability leading to larger regional rises over certain periods and extreme events as in storm surges which will have the most impact," Church said.
About 80 percent of Australians live in coastal areas. There are fears that some low-lying communities may have to be abandoned in years to come because of flooding and erosion. And with higher sea levels, heavy rains and massive tides known as storm surges, which often accompany tropical storms, can do unexpected damage.
There are increasing demands that future development be more sensitive to rising sea levels and the threat of storm surges.
Some climate scientists think the Australian continent is particularly susceptible to a shifting climate and predict a greater incidence of droughts, floods and storms as the Earth warms.
Next month, global climate change talks will be held in Copenhagen. Nations hope to reach an agreement o ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the damage from global warming.
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deepwater
Posts: 1921
Date Joined: 09/05/07
Thank Colin
it is some thing we all know is happing and now it is right in our back yard thanks for that ,on how much it is effecting all of us
jeff
Stevef
Posts: 478
Date Joined: 27/02/08
Sea levels rising........ or
Sea levels rising........ or land sinking. I thought that the seas are more or less flat apart from a "bulge" at the equator
Call me a cynic but sounds like a crock to me ............... even if it is happening sea levels have always gone up and down. Look at the fossilised sea life founds miles inland.
My opinion is that the jury is well and truly out on whether humans are having a significant causal impact on this type of thing.
Steve
tailor marc
Posts: 2979
Date Joined: 27/09/06
or sea floor rising?
or sea floor rising?
My photography pictures... http://westernhorizonsmedia.wordpress.com/
Jody
Posts: 1578
Date Joined: 19/04/07
synic
Unfortunately they have to get the fear factor notched up to stimulate research funding.......read ‘income’
If the milky bar kid signs that doc next month in Copenhagen, we are all in some serious shite ...... World Government...yer righty-o
Bit of enlightenment ...... well worth taking the time to listen. These guys tell it like it really is ....
http://www.agmates.com/blog/2009/10/30/alan-jones-2gb-invertviews-monckton-lindzen/
TWiZTED
Stevef
Posts: 478
Date Joined: 27/02/08
With you Jody ETS = TAX
With you Jody
ETS = TAX that we will all be paying in an (alleged) attempt to stop 5% of ~1% of the worlds emmissions. And this is supposed to make a difference?
crasny1
Posts: 7003
Date Joined: 16/10/08
I am not a sceptic as the climate over millenia has changed
Depending on the various ice ages and then the melt.
global warming
Rising sea levels
More fishing spots
Bring it on!!
To quate a mad keen shirt
The last glacial period was the most recent glacial period within the current ice age, occurring in the Pleistocene epoch. It began about 110,000 years ago and ended about 9,600 - 9,700 BC.
Quote from Wikipedia.
That in scientific time is a spit in time
As only 11,000 years has passed since the last Ice Age, scientists can not be certain that we are indeed living in a post-glacial Holocene epoch instead of an interglacial period of the Pleistocene and thus due for another ice age in the geologic future. Some scientists believe that an increase in global temperature, as we are now experiencing, could be a sign of an impending ice age and could actually increase the amount of ice on the earth's surface.
Some Info from the net on when the next ice age is possibly due.
When you truely look at global warming it has probably something to do with us and our gas gobbling inventions. However it might not "truely" be correct and maybe it is just mother nature doing her own thing.
What I am saying is there is no one answer and we should all keep our wits and not fall for media driven paper selling dribble.
PS I am a scientist at heart, in my own little field.
Cheers
Neels
Sorry all, forgot to add the bibliology before. Just got some quick google info on this stuff
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Jedstar
Posts: 11
Date Joined: 27/08/09
Total bollocks
I remember the hole in the ozone and they expect that that has gone away because we changed the gas in the fridge the hole has always been there and changes in size all the time now its Global warming they first called it but temperatures fell oops lets call it climate change then no matter what happens we can blame it on climate change, a big storm, a drought, wind , no wind, trees grow trees don’t grow no fish too many of the wrong kind of fish now the illegal immigrants I know they will find a way to blame climate change on that too, yeh too hot in Sri lanka due too climate change and now look they all want to come to Australia but our cost is shrinking so we cant have them "oh the humanity" Wake up Australia this about control of the masses like all scares. When the economy melted down on purpose so the corporate could privatize billions of $$$$ of public money called stimulus and bail out what did they keep us busy with in parallel while they fleeced the public of any surplus we had SWINE FLU yeh and where and when did that epidemic disappear right after our money!
CUDA-SHUDA-WOODA
Colin Hay
Posts: 10407
Date Joined: 23/10/07
Mirrabooka will be the hottest fishing spot in town
I can't wait (Lol).
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Ewan
Posts: 271
Date Joined: 15/05/06
Why people who are not
Why people who are not experts choose to take the side of people who are not experts in the field over people who are experts is beyond me. There are many many many factors that contribute to the warming of the world - as Neels says it has been going on a lot longer than life has existed.
But there is more than enough evidence to show that the recent, rapid rise in global averages is due to CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions.Lord Monckton is not a climate change expert. His 'debunking' of climate science has been shown to be shonky at best, if not plain wrong. Alan Jones et al are not known for a rational full exploration of the issues, are they?
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2008/07/once-more-unto-the-bray/
It is not a case of belief or disbelief. It is a case of evidence, and the evidence suggests that burning fossil fuels as fast as we have is indirectly contributing to the greenhouse effect and therefore global warming. The Greenhouse Effect is not a recently-understood phenomenon. It has been postulated and tested and accepted for a long time. It took millions of years to create the energy that is in oil and gas, and we are releasing it all in a couple of hundred.
Shooot, you don't even need science to tell you that we are having a major impact on the world. Just look outside, just take a deep breath next to the freeway.
Temperatures and sea levels go up and down all of the time. But now it is happening faster than 'normal' (whatever that is), and species can't move fast enough, or don't have enough room to move because we have changed their habitats. You can see the rate of change of temperature on all of those graphs. Temperature has certainly been higher over geological history, but it is occuring faster now. It has been shown that only as recently as in the medieval period, the climate was much different than it is now, with people farming and growing fruit in places that are now not arable. But with gradual change, and room to move, things have since adjusted again.
Extinctions have happened before too - but it might shock you to hear that even when compared to the 'sudden' extinction of the dinosaurs, the extinctions of species around the globe over the last 200 years is thought to be the fastest ever and guess what? Australia has the highest rate of extinctions on the planet. This is likely to accelerate even further as large parts of the continent get drier, and the small pockets of remaining native bush shrink.
Oceans are getting more acidic and warmer - it is being measured as happening - it is not theory. This is/will kill coral reefs- it is happening in some places already. The acidification is due to more CO2 in the atmosphere. The warmer waters can be due to lots of things, but one is certainly warmer air temps.
To me, the whole debate is about living sustainably and holistically. We will run out of fossil fuels soon - likely in the next generation - and then what? Nuclear? Great...now we have thousands of tonnes of nuclear waste to contaminate the next geological epoch with. What a legacy! Besides, nuclear has been demonstrated to not be cost effective when the whole lifecycle is analysed. In fact it is one of the most expensive ways to produce power. Just so happens that some people can get very very rich doing it.
Someone has to bite the bullet and get onto renewable energy. Why not us? Why not now? All the reasons are here and now. We know the causes and effects, we know the impacts, we can see the future in broad terms, with reasonably accurate models. We even have the technology, and have never been more wealthy to be able to afford it. We just dumped more money than would be needed to switch to renewables, on the Global Financial Crisis spendings.
What an opportunity wasted. The ETS is rubbish, but it is a start. I say it is rubbish because it doesnt do what is required. i.e. we need to do more. It doesnt have to cost as much as they say if everything changes as it needs to.
The actions of this generation will be remember for a very long time, if any of the runaway effects of climate change come true, such as the feedback loops which are already thought to be causing the polar glaciers to melt faster than predicted, then the world will be very very different, in only a generation or two. Some would say it already is. But then some would say it always is different! But it will be very very very different. No polar bears! No (big) coral reefs!
Why not change our ways? Because of Money? pffft. Tell that to all of the people leaving their home islands in the Pacific. All the people living in coastal regions of Bangladesh and India. All the people farming marginal land. All the people dependent on the people farming marginal land. All the people with beachfront property in Busselton and Vasse!!!
I could go on but won't. At the very least - for crying out loud, if you want info on climate change - don't get it from Alan Jones and Lord Monckton !! Why not listen to the people who are the origin of the research? Why not? If you are interested, look into it - don't just believe professional headline-grabbers!!
Cheers,
Ewan
Jody
Posts: 1578
Date Joined: 19/04/07
OK
A slap on the wrist for being flippant about the ETS is a fair call Ewen, pretty heavy duty stuff.
But I'm going to agree AND disagree with your points all your points above. An extremely complex and potentially volatile issue for a fishing forum.
Maybe over a beer ......
TWiZTED
Ewan
Posts: 271
Date Joined: 15/05/06
That is definitely the best
That is definitely the best way to solve the world's issues Jody!!
They should hold the Copenhagen summit down at Little Creatures - it'd all be figured out by closing time!
Or better still postpone it and have it at the Fishwrecked Exmouth 2010 Photo Fishing Comp wind-up BBQ. In fact I think we actually fleshed out the best global strategy to reduce atmospheric CO2 below 350ppm after this year's one. Or was it V5 sustainability? I can't remember...
;-)
Alan James
Posts: 2224
Date Joined: 30/06/09
Compelling evidence
I'll make sure that each year I'll add another 8.6mm in length to my fishing line so I can be guaranteed or reaching the bottom.