Local news report above on massive efforts to keep Southern California’s iconic beaches intact in the face of Sea Level Rise and the current extreme El Niño. The report discusses “sea level rise”, but not underlying, human caused, global warming.
As El Nino’s westerly winds pile Pacific waters up against the west coast, and additional heat energy contributes to water’s expansion, Sea levels have bumped a foot or more, on top of the long term, baked in, climate driven rise.
While climate deniers like President Trump often laugh off what they describe as minuscule sea level rise, scientists point out that the gradual rise means when extremes do come, the damage to existing physical features and infrastructure will be severe.
Oceanographer Andrea Dutton described this phenomenon exactly when I interviewed her a few years ago.
Below, meteorologist Chris Gloninger discusses the increased costs of keeping up with relentless change.