Stepping out on the beach near the mouth of the Yachats River on Friday, I was astonished at the number of seagulls gathered there in two gigantic flocks. And I was encouraged at the slow — nay, imperceptible — pace of the rise in the sea level we hear so much about.
So here I am on the Oregon coast, once again keeping an eye on the sea level in case it is rising because of climate change. and I barely escape having the sea soaking my socks. So yeah, it must be rising faster than I thought.
You were wondering how much the Pacific Ocean has risen since the last time I checked, right? I mean, there’s something in the news almost every day on climate change. And according to everything we hear, the effects of global warming including rising sea levels are affecting us all and happening now.
Well, another stroll on the beach, and still no sign of that rising sea level we hear so much about. Yes, I know the climate change folks talk in terms of a meter or more by the end of the century, so it’s not exactly imminent. And presumably we would not even notice any annual rise by just […]
Just in case you were wondering what was happening at the central Oregon coast, here’s a video update, shaky and wind-noisy it may be. The short answer is that nothing has changed since the last update a month or so ago. Except that on Dec. 16 the weather was sunny and mild, very nice. The main […]
Climate change and reports — or predictions — of a dangerous rise in the sea level are in the news almost every day. Yet this preoccupation with climate stories in the media is strangely detached from our everyday experiences. Which raises this question: How come the media keep hammering a theme that does not really […]
Winter, sun and the level of the sea
The first day of winter found me standing in the middle of the Yachats River estuary on the Oregon coast. (Good thing the tide was out.) And as usual when I’m in that place, I thought about the slow and imperceptible rise in the level of the sea.
Tags: National Research Council, sea level rise, West Coast