Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Storms signal effects of climate change on Atlantic coast

Chronicle Herald via Canadian Press: Weather experts say New Brunswick is already experiencing the punishing realities of climate change, particularly rising sea levels and damaging storm surges. Recent storms have caused more than $50 million in damage and untold grief for home and cottage owners and coastal expect Robert Capozi warns floods and surges are a fact of life under the new ``coastal realities'' dictated by the earth's changing climate.

Capozi, coastal and marine planner for the provincial Department of Environment, says a sea level rise is occurring and it's projected to reach as high as 20 centimetres along the province's eastern coast over the next 100 years.

He says the problem of a rising sea level is compounded by the impact of more severe and more frequent storms and a sinking coast line. Vicious wind, rain and snowstorms this month caused flooding in southern New Brunswick from the Bay of Fundy and streams, rivers and lakes….

The Bay of Fundy at high tide, shot by Samuel Wantman, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

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