Title: The Impact of Rising Sea Levels on the Bahamas - Bahama Pundit
Headings: The Impact of Rising Sea Levels on the Bahamas
March 02, 2010
The Impact of Rising Sea Levels on the Bahamas

Content: In fact, experts say that inland inundation and salinisation will become huge issues because our groundwater is tidal and directly linked to sea level. And of course, these forecasts do not take account of storm surges or other coastal effects. So they give only a partial picture of vulnerability. The message for decision makers is that sea level rise is real and will only get worse. The more pessimistic forecasts point out that melting of the West Antarctica ice sheet will raise sea level by 16 feet, while melting of the Greenland ice sheet will add another 20 feet. The question is, how long will it take for this to happen? If global warming continues unabated, scientists fear we could reach a tipping point that would lead to a rapid loss of ice. The ramifications of a major sea level rise are massive. Agriculture will be disrupted, water supplies will turn salty, storms and flood waters will reach further inland, governments will be disrupted and millions of environmental refugees will be created. For example, 15 million people live at or below three feet elevation in Bangladesh alone.