The moon’s orbit has slightly altered and that has raised many concerns for people living on Earth. Scientists are concerned that the moon “wobble” could have some grave effects on the climate. In a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change, scientists suggest that by the 2030s, the wobble will be enough to impact rising sea levels and increase in flooding.
The global sea levels are already rising due to climate change. It is happening due to two reasons: warming waters expand the volume of the ocean and global warming is causing glacier and ice sheet melt. For low-lying cities that already face a flood risk could see even more damage in the future.
Framework for next 60 years
“The combination of the moon’s gravitational pull, rising sea levels, and climate change will continue to exacerbate coastal flooding on our coastlines and across the world. NASA’s Sea Level Change Team is providing crucial information so that we can plan, protect, and prevent damage to the environment and people’s livelihoods affected by flooding,” said Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator.
Scientists studied tide gauge locations in the US to identify the tipping points. Using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s sea-level scenarios and flood thresholds, the team managed to make a statistical framework, projecting likely scenarios for the next six decades.
Floods to be more frequent
This will help them determine the likely timelines for floods and help narrow down the likeliness of a flood at different times of the year. This information could be very useful for people living in coastal areas.
So what does the moon’s wobble got to do with all this? Climate scientists have warned that global sea levels are rising and it won’t stop for quite some time. The main issue is that in the 2030s when sea levels rise to a considerable point, the Earth will be in the amplified part of the tide cycle. We will witness tides higher than before, causing more floods in the coastline areas.
With the aid of this new predictive model, scientists can narrow down when and where these floods could occur and potentially be able to save countless lives and livelihoods.
