Tune in to Monroe County TV for "A Sea Level Rise Workshop" at 10AM. LIDAR imagery provides a glimpse of what Big Pine Key will look like under conditions of sea level rise. With climate change and sea level rise, it looks like bonefish will be grazing where key deer foraged. But what about the rest of the state? The question for observers: why is Miami-Dade County DERM withholding the same scale LIDAR imagery of South Dade and, especially, of Turkey Point? Worried about complexity in ground water flow, compared to the Keys? Need more time "modeling" data and to "study" the problem? Who is DERM afraid of?
Press Release: Monroe County to Host Sea Level Rise Presentation
The average elevation of the Florida Keys is about 3 feet, and sea level rise reduces this elevation incrementally each year. Global climate change models project a sea level rise somewhere between a few inches and several feet by the next century. Recent scientific studies warn that the pace of sea level rise could increase in the next several years due to ice melt, thermal expansion and other factors, which means that the Florida Keys could be facing serious consequences far sooner than previously anticipated. Whether inches or feet, the threat of sea level rise will inevitably affect all the low-lying Florida Keys through flooding, greater storm impacts, infrastructure ramifications, etc.
The county is hosting a presentation on current sea level rise projections, to provide "food for thought" and a foundation for future mitigation/adaptation discussions and decisions. The meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 18, 2009, at the Marathon Government Center BOCC Room. The public is welcome to attend, and the meeting will be broadcast on MCTV Channel 76 and via the county web page. It is possible that one or more of the Monroe County Commissioners may be in attendance, along with elected officials from other local municipalities.
Agenda
Dr. Patrick Gleason will provide some background on the study of climate change and sea level rise, including factors that affect sea level change and the range of projections over the last few years.
Chris Bergh will present detailed analysis of sea level rise scenarios for Big Pine Key and a more coarse analysis of the entire Florida Keys.
Evan Flugman will present the findings of an FIU survey of Keys leaders on the impact of climate change on the Florida Keys, including perception of risk, climate knowledge, and preferences and barriers to adaptation/mitigation planning.
4 comments:
Nice story by John Dorschner in The Herald this morning, "Nuclear Waste piling up, FPL seeks rezoning". FPL has been keeping secret its plan to rezone part of Turkey Point to build new above surface "dry cask" storage of spent nuclear fuel. It is good to see the Herald printing a story on the front page, about this corporation's secretive behavior.
The public deserves to see LIDAR imagery of what Turkey Point and South Dade looks like, under conditions of predicted sea level rise.
Actually DERM is working on completing the maps with LIDAR imagery. They have released preliminary maps showing the rise at 1', 2' and 4', but they are still a combination of traditional mapping with LIDAR. They had a public meeting April 30 where they presented the maps. Me and some colleagues have been working on a Mitigation and Adaptation plan for the CCATF that takes into account the anticipated sea level rise. First to go: everything south of Florida City. Pretty scary stuff...
So what is the complication releasing LIDAR imagery showing Turkey Point and surrounding South Dade, at a 3, 5, 10, and 15 mile scale, with various predicted levels of sea level rise? How much variation does a "combination of traditional mapping with LIDAR" offer, compared to hydrologic models of subsurface water flow? Release the maps as they are.
Hurry sell all your Keys property to me! I will pay $100 for any house south of MM100!
Fools......
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