
The Rising Sea
Island Press
Published on 11. August 2009
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-59726-191-3 (ISBN)
Description
This is the authoritative book on sea level rise and its coastal consequences. On Shismaref Island in Alaska, homes are being washed into the sea. In the South Pacific, small island nations face annihilation by encroaching waters. In coastal Louisiana, an area the size of a football field disappears every day. For these communities, sea level rise isn't a distant, abstract fear: it's happening now and it's threatening their way of life. In "The Rising Sea", Orrin H. Pilkey and Rob Young warn that many other coastal areas may be close behind. Prominent scientists predict that the oceans may rise by as much as seven feet in the next hundred years. That means coastal cities will be forced to construct dikes and seawalls or to move buildings, roads, pipelines, and railways to avert inundation and destruction. The question is no longer whether climate change is causing the oceans to swell, but by how much and how quickly. Pilkey and Young deftly guide readers through the science, explaining the facts and debunking the claims of industry-sponsored 'sceptics'. They also explore the consequences for fish, wildlife - and people.
While rising seas are now inevitable, we are far from helpless. By making hard choices - including uprooting citizens, changing where and how we build, and developing a coordinated national response - we can save property, and ultimately lives. With unassailable research and practical insights, "The Rising Sea" is a critical first step in understanding the threat and keeping our heads above water.
While rising seas are now inevitable, we are far from helpless. By making hard choices - including uprooting citizens, changing where and how we build, and developing a coordinated national response - we can save property, and ultimately lives. With unassailable research and practical insights, "The Rising Sea" is a critical first step in understanding the threat and keeping our heads above water.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Princeton University Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
38 photos and illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
150 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59726-191-3 (9781597261913)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Orrin H. Pilkey is James B. Duke Professor of Geology Emeritus at Duke University, author of The Corps and the Shore, and editor of the twenty-volume series Living with the Shore. Rob Young is the director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines and professor of Geosciences at Western Carolina University.