Rising Sea Level Unavoidable Scientists Warn

Atlantropa is the new region that will be created by the
largest dam ever constructed in the Gibraltar Straits to
prevent the rising sea level from displacing millions.

Senior Hydraulic Engineer, Peter Jensen maps out possible solutions on how to keep the Atlantic flowing while building the world's largest super dam. After looking at the surroundings and what may be required to make the closure he thought it may be feasible. One of Jensen's solutions is to use the same building techniques applied to the applied to build the Golden Gate. The dam would have to be 20 miles long and Tower 1250 feet above the seabed, the same height as the Empire State.

Mediterranean Dam

Another solution is to keep the natural flow of the Gibraltar Straits. Huge amounts of Atlantic surface water will flow into the Mediterranean. At a much lower depth, some of the Med's saltwater will be pumped back out again keeping the sea salt and sea level stable. The world's greatest super dam would cost $275 billion. The total cost related to what may be the impact for the city surrounds Mediterranean seems an acceptable solution.

Atlantropa Project

The Gibraltar dam is also called the Atlantropa Project. It would be the world's largest man-made structure, using enough rock to build 1000 great pyramids. Although the dam would cut off the migration of Marine life between the Med in the Atlantic, it would save the entire Mediterranean coastline from flooding. It's certainly technological possible. The old cradle of civilization would really become the center civilization. They would be the last coastal cities never affected by sea level rising.

Sea Level 22 Feet Higher

By the end of the next century scientists predict sea levels could rise by nearly 22 feet. Some cities may be saved through the construction of super dams. Others it can be defended are lost in the sea. Exposed countries too poor to build defenses would be flooded, and hundreds of millions around the world would be displaced.

Overpopulation

It's likely that by the 23^rd century, the ice sheets will melt at an even faster rate and the oceans will rise with increasing speed. The planet's growing population and the continuing hunger for cheap energy could make it worse. The problem we constantly see is the number of people on the planet. Every new person is going to want housing, need food and want transportation. If we cut down world emissions by a third but raised our population by a third all those new people are just adding back to what we've cut away.

Garbage Island: Our Newest Continent

An island of free floating plastic garbage twice the size of
Texas is located in the North Pacific Gyre

Marine research biologists are trolling the surface of the water 10 miles off the coast of Long Beach California to get some idea of the extent of plastic pollution. It's a common misconception that the worst kind of spill in our oceans is an oil spill. But the ocean is the absolute worst place for the tons of plasticsthat we dump to be. These bits of plastic bottles and other objects will never degrade and remain in our oceans forever.

Bisphenol A

Bisphenol A is a chemical used to make 7 billion pounds a year of hard, clear plastics called polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a non-recyclable plastic that is being thrown away into the environment with much of it finding it is way into our oceans. A US study found that 90% of us have traces of bisphenol A in their bodies. A study in Japan indicates that women with high levels of bisphenol A were the ones found to have repeated miscarriages. They were capable of achieving pregnancy and carrying to partial term but would miscarry at some point.

Garbage Island

The ocean is full of these plastic products. After years of producing these toxic plastics we would be hard pressed to find anywhere in the world not exposed to them. To get an idea of what we face we need to get a sense of the extent of this pollution. Off the coast of California is a region of the Ocean called theNorth Pacific Gyre. The Gyre is an area were currents entering the western region off the coast of Japan and exiting from the coast of California form a swirling current pattern. This swirling pattern acts as a collecting point for debris. This area is so prevalent with ocean trash that it is commonly referred to as the "Eastern Garbage Patch." This region is about twice the size of Texas and is getting larger with every passing year.

The Newest Continent

The trash in the North Pacific Gyre is 80 percent plastic and estimated to consist of more than 3.5 million tons of bottles and other non recyclable plastic containers and objects. Many who have heard about this floating plastic mass do not believe it, writing it off as an urban myth. With a span twice as large as the state of Texas we can classify it as a new continent. Perhaps we should claim it as a testament to our impact on our planet and include it on our maps.

Martian Infrastructure

If we are to continue funding our exploration into space we must begin to seriously consider taking our exploration to the next level. Ultimately, we hope to step off of our planet on to other worlds. To do this we must begin to invest funding toward the establishment of infrastructure on planets within our reach.

Irrigation

In early observations of the planet Mars astronomers incorrectly assumed the existence of channels on the surface of the red planet. Many speculated what they were seeing was evidence of a Martian civilization. Of course it was later found that Mars was a dead planet with very little atmosphere primarily consisting of poisonous carbon dioxide. However, the idea of channeling water on the surface of Mars is not as far-fetched an idea as once assumed.

Pipelines

If it is found that water does exist beneath the surface of the Martian polar ice caps future human colonies there may give merit to the old assumption of canals on the surface of Mars. It is not possible for water to exist in a liquid state on the surface of Mars due to the low temperature and reduced atmospheric pressure. However, future human colonies on Mars may find it beneficial to have water pipelines leading from subterranean reservoirs to other settlements on the surface of the planet. Pipelines to facilitate the movement of water would be much like petroleum pipelines here on earth.

Mineral Refinement and Structures

With the advancement of our robotics program the most logical next step in our overall mission to Mars would be to send robots capable of mining, refining and fabricating the vast deposits of iron oxide into structural components. Other robots designed as builders could erect structures for future manned missions to Mars.

Energy

Mars is cold, dry and far from the sun. The amount of solar power generated there is enough to power small rovers. However, could it be enough to sustain larger machines needed to facilitate the building of infrastructure? Future priorities regarding our exploration of Mars should be redirected towards potential energy sources on the planet. So far, viable energy sources on Mars are limited to weak sources of solar and wind.

We have advanced beyond the point which our leaders, as well as the general public, are beginning to question the viability of investing more funds in our space program. It is important for scientists to find evidence supporting the existence of life on other planets. But this is not the only reason to explore space. The first colonies on other planets will be inhabited by robots. They will be funded by governments and private sector investors prioritizing infrastructure and industry. For talented and brilliant NASA scientists, this should not be as difficult a concept to grasp as it seems to be.

ESPN Reporter Erin Andrews Victim of Video Voyeur

While still unclear the date and location of the incident, attorneys for ESPN reporter Erin Andrews intend to press charges for whoever was responsible for leaking nude video of Ms. Andrews on the Internet. It is apparent from the video Ms. Andrews was unaware while the video is being taken and believed she was in the privacy of her hotel room.

Voyeurism on the Rise
Video voyeurism is becoming more prevailing in our society is technological advancements allow most anyone to capture video at any time. The video can easily be transformed from a cell phone to a laptop and be instantly uploaded onto the Internet. In only a matter of moments some as dignity and reputation are destroyed. Similar incidents have occurred in recent months, most notably, the video of the young Ohio high school student who was videoed by fellow students while intoxicated and unconscious at a party.

Legal Loop Holes
Attorney Marshall B. Grossman, representing Ms. Andrews stated, "We are focused on putting this predator behind bars. This conduct is unacceptable in a civilized society." In the past week the video has gone viral across the Internet and Ms. Andrews is both mortified and furious. Unfortunately, it may not be so easy to prosecute the perpetrators. The sad fact is that the law does not clearly classify this act as a crime and the guilty parties usually go free. There have been efforts to close the loopholes that allow voyeurs to slip through the system. Sadly, this is only another incident in which technology is outpacing the law.

New Wave of Video Assaults
In regards to Erin Andrews, her struggle to overcome this embarrassing and victimizing ordeal is just beginning with no suspects yet to be identified. Even if those responsible are brought to justice, this is an indignity that will follow her for the rest for life. We often dismiss these acts we see perpetrated on the Internet without really understanding they are crimes against real people. Examples include public up skirt videos, sharking and a shocking new phenomenon referred to as the knockout game.

Young girls are the unwitting victims as perpetrators use their smart phones to take images and videos peeking under their skirts. Sharking refers to video capturing a violent attack upon a woman removing her clothes in public leaving her terrified on the street. The knockout game involves adolescents who walk up to random people on the street knocking them unconscious. Perhaps the worst crime of all is the lack of laws to protect victims of these crimes.

Climate Change: For Future Generations

ABC News: Statute of Liberty closed indefinitely
after super storm Sandy

It's not difficult to grasp how the oncoming climate change will affect our planet. Scientists predict we can have as much as a 5 foot rise in the sea level by the year 2100. Perhaps 80 to 90 years is still far enough away that these predictions do not affect us personally. Scientists predict this is the global tragedy our young children, and their children, will inherit from us.

Predicting future sea level rise is difficult as the planet has never before experienced a dramatic increase in CO2 over the last hundred years. But Prof. Stefan Rhamstorf, an oceanographer and climatologist at Boston University has developed a climate model predicting a 6 foot sea level rise the century as higher temperatures kick in. 

Miami at Risk

One city that will face inundation within this century is Miami Florida. Just a few feet above sea level, it has virtually no defenses against the rising ocean. After one foot of sea level rise the beaches would be regularly flooded. After 2 feet, many roads would be submerged. After 3, if a hurricane strikes, the surging water will overcome the city's defenses and cause floating deep inland. Much of the region's coastal real estate would be ruined.

Billions Lost per Foot

Miami has millions of dollars in coastal real estate. With properties along the water line estimated to be valued at $1 million each. With only 3 feet of sea level rise billions of dollars in Miami real estate will be lost. It's not just residential properties that would be affected. All the ports and docks around Miami that supply goods and services would be submerged with as little as a 5 foot rise in the sea level. Each one of the reports would have to be replaced. Even a small rise in sea level would obliterate billions of dollars in infrastructure.

Miami Lost

After 4 feet of sea level rise electricity supplies to coastal areas would be affected as Miami's power plants become flooded. After a 5 foot rise in sea level, some of Miami's fresh drinking water will be contaminated by seawater turning the Everglades National Park into a sea bay. After only a 6 foot rise in sea level, Manny would become unlivable and millions of Florida residents would have to evacuate the state.

Future Generations

In the years to come we will have an opportunity. We cannot alter the course of our planet's changing climate. Realistically speaking, anything we do will make very little difference. But we do have an opportunity to provide a better life for our next generations. Over the course of the next hundred years we could give our future generations a head start to the stars. Now more than ever, our responsibility to our children is an imperative.

The New American Revolution: Educating Yahoo!

Occupy Wall Street signifies America may be awakening
to take back from corporations what the government has
lost... our freedom.

Anytime you ask a writer to put words on a page you are asking that writer for answers. In the search for those answers the writer will include his opinions. The writer cannot help it because the writer has a voice. You hope that the writer will say things that others would like to hear to sell ads for your advertiser’s. But what if others want to hear that corporate advertising is intrusive, annoying, and often simple ploys to exploit people from their money? This would be an article worthy message deserving of its readers. As a corporatist, would with you publish it?

The problem with innovation in our society is the promise of wealth offered to innovative people if they sell their creations to corporations. Some people would call several million dollars a great sum of money. But in fact is not wealth. Corporations drain our society of billions of dollars every minute while simultaneously selling them items designed to cost them billions more for services. One good example of this is Associated Content.

In our society corporations have become so powerful that our flaccid, weak government no longer has any control to regulate them. Comcast Corporation is running unopposed for monitoring, regulation and control of everything we see and hear in the world around us. While other corporations seek to monitor, regulate and control what we say under the guise of online content.

Sociologists, historians and economists speculate that our society’s obsession with sports, reality television and junk food is due to an increasing sense of apathy. Perhaps this is so. Perhaps it’s not more football, Kim Kardashian and fast food that will fill this void growing in our society. Perhaps what American society needs is revolution by force.

One benefit of this revolution by force is that it need not be against our government. There hasn’t been a ruling government in America for decades. The revolution is against the corporation to bring down the structure and break it apart. The revolution is to ensure no one corporation ever becomes so powerful that healthy competition is compromised at the expense of the people.

In 1984, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruled that the Bell telephone company be broken into separate companies. America had a strong government and a strong leader. Today our government is impotent as corporations are allowed to run rampant, bankrupting our society to increase their own wealth. The people must decide for themselves whether they wish to continue to be enslaved by corporations. There is no government in place to do this for them.

In the book, The Lifecycle of Empires, the author describes seven distinct stages before the inevitable collapse of any empire. America is not an empire but a democracy with a Constitution that acknowledges the need for revolution by any means necessary to protect the people. Empires in today’s society describes corporations, not America. In the book, the final stage before the collapse of an empire is decadence and bloated wealth. Had you taken the time to read the articles you rejected you may have figured this out on your own.

Anytime you ask a writer to put words on a page you are asking that writer for answers. If those answers frighten you perhaps you’re in the wrong business.

Climate Change: Battling the Sea

Scientists predict melting Arctic Ice will cause global sea
levels to rise within 50 years.

In the next century, after an additional 16 feet rise in sea level, the entire San Joaquin Delta will be claimed by the sea. But there may be a way to defend both the Delta and San Francisco Bay. Scientists believe that San Francisco is among the easiest to save. The most radical solution would be to put a dam right across the bay under the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Golden Gate Dam

On the ocean side of the Golden Gate Bridge, the sea is about 130 feet deep. Building a dam would be controversial and return the bay into a freshwater lagoon. But at a time of intense sea level rise, some may consider this the best option. Using cutting-edge technology, huge dredgers could pick up sand from the seabed nearby and deposit it as the dam's foundation.

Building the Golden Gate Dam

The dam's shallow incline would ensure maximum stability against earthquakes, breaking the power of the ocean waves with ease. Vast pipes and pumps would be installed to keep the bay's river water flowing out to sea. The Golden Gate Dam would cost two and half billion dollars by rough estimates. It could be heightened to deal with any sea level rise in the future saving the San Francisco and the Bay area.

The Mediterranean Dam

Another region that may benefit from the United States sea defenses is the Mediterranean. It's flanked by countries both rich and poor that have thousands of years of history. The Mediterranean has a unique feature, a narrowing at its mouth. The Straits of Gibraltar are between 10 and 20 miles wide, stretching from southern Spain to Africa. A Mediterranean dam could keep the rising water of the Atlantic separate from the Mediterranean. There have actually been plans since World War II, for instance, to put a dam between the rock of Gibraltar and Morocco on the African side.

Consequences of the Mediterranean Dam

A dam big enough would prevent rising sea level from affecting the Mediterranean. But building a dam here has one major drawback. Every year, the Mediterranean loses 2 feet of sea level through evaporation that is compensated by the inflow of water from the Atlantic. The dam would cut this off, and after years of evaporation, the Mediterranean would turn into a stagnant saltwater lake, eventually causing the sea to dry out.

Historic Battle with the Sea

As scientists begin to consider possible solutions to rising sea levels they are increasingly finding many of these solutions come with devastating consequences themselves. Throughout history, civilizations have battled with the sea for control of the coastal regions. And throughout history, the sea has overcome the efforts of civilizations. Are we now technologically advanced enough to make a difference in our future?

Bangladesh: A Catastrophe in the Making

Scientists predict within 50 years rising sea level will flood
coastal cities like Bangladesh displacing millions.

Not every country can afford to spend billions on sea defenses. In Bangladesh, many of its 150 million inhabitants live at, or just above, sea level. Only a 3 feet rise in sea level will have a devastating effect on the country's population. Turns out, the area of the world that would be most vulnerable to sea level rise would be Asia. The rice growing river deltas in Asia are very close to sea level. Even a modest 3 foot rise would put half the rice land in Bangladesh underwater.

Bangladesh at Risk

Bangladesh has over 100 to 220 million people, and that number is rising fast. A great deal of the land will get covered by water and once you have salt water coming up it's not just the land is covered, it's the intrusion of salt. Even a 3 foot sea level rise wipes out half the rice crop. The Bangladesh population is going up third as their land is becomes short by a third. Scientists predict Bangladesh is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Much of Bangladesh is vast muddy Delta that cannot be defended. 6 feet of sea level rise would spell disaster for the entire population.

Nowhere to Go

By modest estimates, scientists predict tens of millions would be displaced. India has already built a wallbetween Bangladesh along its borders. The displaced millions would have nowhere to go. The government of India already anticipate there is going to be a lot Bangladesh refugees looking for a place to go. Bangladesh itself is already one of the most densely populated countries on earth. Another 18 or 20 rice growing river deltas in Asia would be affected in varying degrees by rise in sea level.

The World Project

By the end of the century, scientists predict cities and coastlines around the world will be under siege from the rising tides. Everywhere, people will be building levees and sea defenses to fight back. But scientists predict sea level rise will not stop at 6 feet, but are likely to rise at an even faster rate. As the predicted melt of Greenland and Antarctica accelerates, exposed cities may not have time to build new sea defenses.

Clues about the speed of future sea level rise can be found during the time of the last ice age. As global temperatures rose, the planet's ice melted into the sea. Sea level was increased by a staggering 390 feet until they settled to today's levels. Scientists are currently working to discover how long it took for this to happen. They hope the answer may help predict how quickly sea levels could rise in the next century to provide us with a timeline to defend our coasts.