Synopses & Reviews
On Shishmaref 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 isnandrsquo;t a distant, abstract fear: itandrsquo;s happening now and itandrsquo;s threatening their way of life.
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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 railroads to avert inundation and destruction.
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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 andldquo;skeptics.andrdquo; They also explore the consequences for fish, wildlifeandmdash;and people.
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While rising seas are now inevitable, we are far from helpless. By making hard choicesandmdash;including uprooting citizens, changing where and how we build, and developing a coordinated national responseandmdash;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.
Review
andquot;A must read for all Americans. The authors are among our most eminent coastal scientists. They deliver, in clear and measured prose, an urgent message explaining how rising sea levels will affect New York, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles and every coastal community in our country.andquot;
Review
andquot;An excellent, easy-to-read exploration of how oceans change and how the changes affect peopleandmdash;their property, their relationship to nature, and their perception of what is permanent. This is a fascinating book for all concerned about the state of the planet we are leaving to our descendants.andquot;
Review
andquot;Sea level rise is a lurking dragon. Experts chart its pulse nervously, but speak quietly. Pilkey and Young pierce this reticence, telling a story that the public must understandandmdash;or the dragon may burst out of humanityand#39;s control.andquot;
Review
andquot;The Rising Sea is a must-read, not only for those of us living on the coast but for everyone concerned about meeting the challenges of the future.andquot;
Review
andquot;The Rising Sea takes on a host of contentious issues, ranging from the science of climatology to the politics of coastal planning to the economics of engineering, all the while taking into account the perverse psychology of a populace loath to acknowledge the truth when doing so proves disruptive. Although insistent, Pilkey and Young are never unduly alarmist.andquot;
Review
andquot;One of the things I like best about The Rising Sea is its inclusion of many examples of climate-change adaptation, which suggests an emerging emphasis on climate-change adaptation and linkages between the natural world and people.andquot;
Review
andquot;Pilkey and Youngand#39;s balanced, optimistic perspective on the tough decisions that lie ahead should garner interest from policy makers and real estate developers as well as environmentalists.andquot;
Review
andquot;The Rising Sea....is a book that is likely to inspire many. The authors knowledgably and effectively sound the retreat from the coast.andquot;
Synopsis
While rising seas are now inevitable, we are far from helpless. By making hard choicesand#8212;including uprooting citizens, changing where and how we build, and developing a coordinated national responseand#8212;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.
Synopsis
While rising seas are now inevitable, we
About the Author
Orrin H. Pilkey is James B. Duke Professor of Geology Emeritus in the Nicholas School of the Environment 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 Westernand#160; Carolina University.
Table of Contents
Preface
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Chapter 1 and#160;Living on the Edge
Chapter 2. Why the Sea Is Rising
Chapter 3. Predicting the Unpredictable
Chapter 4. The 800-pound Gorillas
Chapter 5. A Sea of Denial
Chapter 6. The Living Coasts
Chapter 7. People and the Rising Sea
Chapter 8. Ground Zero: The Mississippi Delta
Chapter 9. Sounding Retreat
and#160;
References
Acknowledgments
Index