Going Swimming in Florida Seas?

[longknife]

Heck. They're only little ones.



While there are thousands of sharks in the waters, it hasn’t deterred people from going to the beach. Lifeguards have not shut down any beaches yet, according to Kajiura, and most of the locals in the area know this is when the sharks are around and what precautions to take.



Read more @ Thousands of Sharks Clog Coastline of Florida

 

[waltky]

Miami Faces Future of Rising Seas...

Miami Faces Future of Rising Seas
November 21, 2017 — Sue Brogan's street is barely above sea level on a good day. During autumn's "king tides," when the sun and moon align to create the highest tides of the year, Biscayne Bay backs up through storm drains and flows into Brogan's street, in Miami's low-lying Shorecrest neighborhood.

Roads flood. The salt water rusts cars and kills greenery. For now, it's mostly a nuisance several days a year. But Brogan knows it's only going to get worse. "It's more of a warning situation. Where is it going to go from this?" she asks. Climate change is expected to raise sea levels a minimum of three-quarters of a meter by the end of the century, according to the estimates that regional planners use. That puts most of Shorecrest underwater year-round, along with other low-lying waterfront neighborhoods. And higher seas mean increased risk of tidal flooding and storm surges across this hurricane-prone city.

Flood waters rise around signs at the Haulover Marine Center at Haulover Park as Hurricane Irma passes by, Sept. 10, 2017, in North Miami Beach, Florida.​

The planners' high-end estimate is two meters of sea level rise. That would submerge most of the glitzy city of Miami Beach, across the bay. And scientists say three to three-and-a-half meters is extreme but plausible. In that scenario, Miami Beach is gone and Miami is an archipelago. Planning for this future is difficult, expensive and often controversial. But the Miami region has little choice. "Sea level rise is an existential threat," said City of Miami Chief Resilience Officer Jane Gilbert. "But it is not an imminent existential threat ... We have time to plan."

Miami Beach leads way

As a barrier island with some of the most expensive real estate in the region, Miami Beach is quite literally on the front lines of climate change. The city has the motivation, and the resources, to take some of the most aggressive action in the region. Residents are paying for roughly half a billion dollars' worth of seawalls, raised streets, sewer pumps and more. "Thankfully, our residents — the folks that are footing the bill for this work — realize that the cost of doing nothing is much greater," said Public Works Director Eric Carpenter.

Tidal flooding in Highland Village, North Miami Beach.​

There have been some hiccups. Raising roads put adjacent properties below street level. At least one flood-damage insurance claim has been denied as a result, and residents and businesses are worried there will be more. Miami Beach is working to resolve the dispute. "I think there are inherent risks with being first," Carpenter said. But the city gets credit for moving forward despite the challenges. "It's not working perfectly. But they're at least doing the experimentation," said Zelalem Adefris with the advocacy group Catalyst Miami.

Redesigning Shorecrest

 

[waltky]

How high's the water, momma?...

Miami Citizens Become Scientists to Study Rising Seas
December 08, 2017 — It’s a sunny Saturday morning in Miami, and Kiran Bhat is crouching ankle-deep in puddle water, watching the level creep up a measuring tape. At the bottom of the puddle is a storm drain. It’s supposed to convey rainwater off the street and into Biscayne Bay nearby.

But as the oceans rise with climate change, the opposite is happening more and more often. When tides are at their highest, salt water flows up through the drains in low-lying neighborhoods across the Miami area. At its worst, flooding turns streets into impassable streams. It’s a symptom of climate change that’s expected to get worse in the coming decades. Bhat recently moved to the region with his wife, who was born and raised here. “I’m starting to put down roots here as well,” he said. “Miami’s a beautiful place. We don’t want it to be impacted by sea level rise in the way that the projections are putting out there.”

Reality check

While tidal flooding currently happens just a few days each year, “by 2030, we could be seeing it 30 to 40 days a year,” Keren Bolter, climate and policy analyst with the South Florida Regional Planning Council, said. “And by 2060, we could be seeing it almost every single day at high tide. “It’s a wake-up call,” Bolter added. “It’s a reality check of what the future will be every day.” That’s why Bhat and 74 other volunteers are splashing through puddles across the city this morning, collecting data to help scientists understand how rising seas will affect their hometown.

Tidal flooding in Highland Village, North Miami Beach. As tidal flood waters rise, among the things that city officials and scientists need to know is whether the water poses a health risk.​

When the waters rise, cities need to know street by street who and what is at risk. And they need to know what combinations of conditions turn streets into streams, and which just leave salty puddles. Plus, they need to know if floods pose a health risk. The rising waters could carry nasty bacteria from septic systems or pet waste, or toxic chemicals that wash off streets and driveways. Collecting all that data requires a lot of manpower. That’s where Tiffany Troxler’s platoon of volunteers comes in. “You simply can’t cover the number of sites that we’re working on today with the research infrastructure that we have at our disposal,” said Troxler, director of the Sea Level Solutions Center at Florida International University.

Citizen scientists

Before sunrise, the citizen scientists gather for doughnuts and training. They learn a few simple techniques, then spread out across the city. As the tide rises, peaks and falls, volunteers collect data on how deep the floodwaters get. They check the salinity to be sure the water is from the bay, not just backed-up rainwater. And they sample for chemicals and bacteria. But there’s more to the exercise than manpower. Troxler says these outings are a great way to get people thinking and talking about what sea level rise will mean for them and their communities. “Even for myself, I don’t think I really appreciated how urgent the issue of sea level rise was until I saw the water coming out of the drain,” she said. “And it just doesn’t stop.”

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[IsaacNewton]

Don't be a Chief Brody. Don't let that little Kitner boy spill out all over the dock. Try Shark Dynamite! The dynamite of choice of fishermen on the island!