The Moon’s predictable, regular cycles will trigger rapidly rising high tide floods along almost all U.S. coasts, Hawaii, and Guam, by the mid-2030s.
This is the conclusion of the research by NASA’s Sea Level Change Science Team at the University of Hawaii.
The report states that the increase would occur mainly along the Pacific Island, Gulf of Mexico, and continental Pacific.
It concludes that high tide flooding will become a national problem by the mid-2030s. However, fluctuations in sea levels could affect the timing of the floods.
What does the Moon’s cycle have to do with flooding?
Because the oceans bulge onto the moon-side, the Moon’s gravitational pull creates the Earth’s low and high tides.
The Moon’s 18.6-year cycle means that its “wobbling position” suppresses high tides in one half of the year and amplifies them in the other. The Moon is doing the latter right now; however, due to climate change, sea levels haven’t risen sufficiently for there to be an increase in high-tide floodings (also known as nuisance floods or Sunday floods). This is going to change.
Flooding will get worse in the middle of the 2030s
Climate change will worsen when we reach a similar point in our Moon’s cycle in the mid-2030s. Sea levels will rise. Rising sea levels will cause dramatic increases in flood numbers in the next ten years, as they will be aligned with the lunar cycle.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it isn’t lovely in many places along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts. The NOAA reported more than 600 high-tide flooding events in 2019.
High-tide floods: The upcoming ‘cluster’ problem
High tides will exceed flood thresholds in the country during the mid-2030s and for several weeks.
The first study to consider all oceanic and astronomical flood causes predicts that floods may sometimes occur in seasonal clusters lasting for at least a month.
“Understanding that all of your events are clustered within a month, or you might experience more severe flooding in half the year than the first, that’s valuable information,” stated Ben Hamlington, coauthor of the paper and leader of NASA’s Sea Level Change Team.
Researchers studied 89 locations of tide gauges in all U.S. states and territories, except Alaska. They projected results up to 2080.
MIAMI BEACH FL – September 29: Yana Kibyakova walks along a flood-prone street
High-tide flooding: Why should we be concerned
We’re not referring to hurricane surges or physical damage to property or infrastructure. It is the cumulative effect of things such as road and business closings that can be catastrophic.
nth. People lose their jobs when they can’t get there [and] seeping cesspools are a public health problem.”
How fast is the sea level rising?
The melting of glaciers and ice sheet ice and seawater’s thermal expansion as it warms have caused sea levels to rise around 33% in the last 25 years. According to NOAA
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that “The Moon’s gravitational pull and rising sea levels will continue to increase coastal flooding on our coasts and around the globe.” “NASA‘s Sea Level Change Team provides crucial information to plan, protect and prevent flooding damage.
