“Olympia’s downtown lies close to sea level.
One of the first U.S. cities to look at effects of sea-level rise.”
Photo courtesy: Univ. of WA

– From The Olympian Editorial Board:
“Sea level rise is long-term challenge for downtown”

* “Olympia city officials are planning on a 50-inch sea level rise by 2100”

* “But estimates of rise are climbing, raising questions about the downtown future”

* “Some proposals to armor the city could cost $60 million”

“The city has adopted a policy to protect downtown and prepare for 50 inches of sea level rise. But in a recent City Council work session, Eric Christensen, the city’s public works manager, noted that estimates of the extent of sea level rise keep going up. The Army Corps of Engineers predicts as much as five feet by the end of this century; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts up to six and a half feet.

Locally, El Nino weather events that bring heavier rains are likely to make it worse, particularly at high tides.”
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Editor’s Note:
Olympia’s situation was first covered on this blog September 7, 2007. The effects of continued sea level rise on the seats of state and county governments WILL have trickle-down affects on Yelm.
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– “Antarctica on the Brink: NASA Emeritus Scientist Warns of Dramatic Loss of Glaciers
“Scientific reports about the increasing pace of melting ice — in all its forms around the planet — are being published on a nearly daily basis.

A study published in January revealed a dramatic increase in melt rates on Antarctica’s most stable ice shelf, when it showed that melting rates were 25 times higher than expected.

This disconcerting news comes a year after another study, which showed that the largest glacier in eastern Antarctica (Totten Glacier), which by itself contains the ice equivalent of a 20-foot rise in global sea levels, is melting due to warming ocean water, by Dahr Jamail, Truthout.
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