Study says U.S. can’t keep up with loss of wetlands

National News:

“Over a four-year span, the United States lost more than 360,000 acres of freshwater and saltwater wetlands to fierce storms, sea-level rise and booming development along the coasts, according to a newly released federal study.

The disappearance of so much grass and forest marsh on the edge of waterways is a disturbing sign that government projects to restore wetlands are failing to keep pace, environmentalists said, as storms intensify, the sea level creeps up and development paves the way for rising coastal populations.

Saltwater wetlands help buffer sea surges that cause flooding during powerful storms along the coasts — such as Hurricane Sandy last year — and freshwater wetlands soak up storm-water runoff that often causes sewers to overflow.

They also serve as nurseries for numerous species of fish and assorted marine life, while providing habitat for three-quarters of the nation’s waterfowl and migrating birds. Nearly half of endangered species depend on them to live.”

~Writes Darryl Fears of The Washington Post

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VIMS model now capable of street-level storm-tide predictions

William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science:

“The water that surged into the intersection of New York City’s Canal and Hudson streets during Hurricane Sandy—to choose just one flood-ravaged locale—was ultimately driven ashore by forces swirling hundreds of miles out in the Atlantic.

That simple fact shows not only the scale and power of a tropical cyclone, but the difficulty of modeling and forecasting its potential for coastal flooding on the fine scale needed to most effectively prepare a response.

Now, a study led by Professor Harry Wang of William & Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science demonstrates the ability to predict a hurricane’s storm tide at the level of individual neighborhoods and streets—a much finer scale than current operational methods.”

~Writes David Malmquist of VIMS

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Gov. Terry McAuliffe puts state climate panel back in action

Governor’s Office:

“Virginia’s governor… [3 months ago] told a gathering at the Environment Virginia Symposium something they hadn’t heard from that office in four years: Climate change is real, humans have a hand in it and the commonwealth’s coastal communities are under a great threat.

‘If we want to help the environment tomorrow, we have to make smart, common-sense decisions today. The first big decision is to accept climate change is real,’ Gov. Terry McAuliffe said. ‘I believe humans contribute to climate change. I think it’s pretty much settled. I think the impacts are felt today.’

McAuliffe’s remarks were met with a round of applause by local government officials, policymakers and environmentalists who were gathering… for a three-day environmental symposium at Virginia Military Institute. The governor plans to reactivate a climate change commission to advise him on what can be done to protect Virginia.

The new governor said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pegs the Hampton Roads area as the second-most vulnerable in the nation, right behind New Orleans.”

~Writes Luanne Rife of the Roanoke Times

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