Sea level rise could wipe out Olympia

According to the City of Olympia, they’re planning for a “worst case” Sea Level Rise (SLR) of about 4.5 ft. by the year 2100. NASA videos show cracks developing in the West Antarctic Ice Shelf, which could lead to a new ice berg the size of Delaware.

While this ice is already floating, it’s loss could lead to accelerated ice flows from continental Antarctica into the sea.

Dr. Joseph Romm’s “Climate Change; What Everyone Needs to Know,” says the IPCC is updating SLR estimates to account for melting ice in Antarctica and Greenland. Also, the IPCC is not modeling all factors contributing to climate change: ie. the carbon footprint from thawing permafrost could add up to 1.5 degrees F to global warming by 2100. And, ocean acidification inhibits production of dimethylsulphile (DMS). The Max Planck Institute estimates reductions in DMS would increase temperatures up to 0.9 degrees F.

Due to the unknown effects of these factors, the IPCC still has a wide range of SLR outcomes. Their current estimates show a minimum 3 ft. SLR by 2100. A 4 - 5 ft. SLR is likely, and a 10 ft. rise is possible. After 2100, we can expect 1 ft. rise per decade.

The city says they are aware of and believe the science behind SLR. If these numbers are deemed valid, I would think moving downtown Olympia to higher ground becomes a strong consideration, rather than pouring a lot of money into flood mitigation plans that will be overwhelmed.

This story was originally published April 1, 2017 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Sea level rise could wipe out Olympia."