Biscayne Bay is Miami’s most vital quality of life asset, and it’s the mainstay of our economy.
Irela Bague, Chair of the Biscayne Bay Task Force
Biscayne Bay
Posts Tagged with sea level rise
Which is More Expensive?
The question is which is more expensive? Building resilient homes or rebuilding them all post-disaster?
Craig Fugate in the Tampa Bay Times, November 12, 2019
Miami-Dade County Sea Level Rise Workshops
Miami-Dade County’s Office of Resilience is seeking your input in a series of workshops addressing sea level rise in Miami. The next two workshops are scheduled for April 10 in North Miami Beach & April 13 in Palmetto Bay.
Parts of Miami-Dade County are already routinely impacted by flooding, and local sea levels are projected to be approximately two feet higher than they are now by 2060. Miami is one of a handful of locations in the world expected to be hardest hit with sea level rise, but this also means that our region will be testing ground for climate change solutions. With that in mind, Miami-Dade County would like your input “on how you would like to see your community adapt to accommodate more water.” Community members are asked for their opinions on the social, environmental and economic impacts of sea level rise, and to help devise strategies to address those anticipated impacts.
Registration & Locations
- April 10, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mc Donald Senior Center in North Miami Beach. Register for the April 10 workshop.
- April 13, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Deering Estate in Palmetto Bay coinciding with Baynanza Biscayne Bay Cleanup Day. Register for the April 13 workshop.
No expertise is required, and there will be technical experts on hand to answer questions. Children are welcome. There will be games and activities for all ages. Refreshments will be provided.
If you are unable to attend one of the workshops, you can still provide ideas on how to address sea level rise. Take the online survey and your suggestions will be considered in the County’s strategy. Survey is available in English, Creole and Spanish.
Which Ice Sheet Will Flood Miami?
There is a general consensus among Earth scientists that melting of land ice greatly contributes to sea-level rise (SLR) and that future warming will exacerbate the risks posed to human civilization. As land ice is lost to the oceans, both the Earth’s gravitational and rotational potentials are perturbed, resulting in strong spatial patterns in SLR, termed sea-level fingerprints. We lack robust forecasting models for future ice changes, which diminishes our ability to use these fingerprints to accurately predict local sea-level (LSL) changes.
And that’s why the folks at NASA’s Virtual Earth System Laboratory’s Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM) team came up with the “Gradient Fingerprint Mapping Simulation” for localized sea level rise from melting glaciers in 293 major port cities. The idea behind the simulation is to give city planners in the coastal regions “improved assessments of future coastal inundation or emergence.”
To the more science-minded among us, here is the research article discussing the the simulation: Should coastal planners have concern over where land ice is melting? (Authors: Eric Larour, Erik R. Ivins and Surendra Adhikari | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology | Publication: Science Advances 15 Nov 2017: Vol. 3, no. 11, e1700537 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700537)
For the rest of us, according to the Gradient Fingerprint Mapping Simulation, about 47% of Miami’s sea level rise will come from glacier/ice sheet melting at the rate of about 1.333 mm/yr. Almost half of that will come from the Greenland Ice Sheet, the second largest ice sheet in the world.
Other models available from the Virtual Earth System Laboratory:
Glaciers
Columbia Glacier
Haig Glacier
Ice Sheets
Greenland Basal Friction
Sea Level
Coastline retreat from Sea-Level Rise
Global Relative Sea-Level Rise
Gradient Fingerprint Mapping
Solid Earth
Greenland Geothermal Sensitivity
South Florida Rising Seas: Impact
On Wednesday, February 1, at 5:30 p.m., ECOMB’s Cinema Green Project, in partnership with Earth Ethics Institute at Miami Dade College, presents “South Florida Rising Seas: Impact” from the Stand Up, Rise Up! film series. The film will screen at EcoTech Visions, 670 NW 112 Street, Miami, FL 33168. There will be a special presentation of “Global Warming – Changing Oceans” by Captain Dan Kipnis; and a panel discussion movie producer Juliet Pinto, climate monitor Mitchel Chester, and Captain Dan Kipnis. All Stand Up, Rise Up! films are free, but tickets through Eventbrite are required.
South Florida Rising Seas: Impact
The documentary is a compilation of stories that were produced by 33 video production students at Florida International University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and initially released as a 10-part web series on WPBT2’s YouTube site.
The documentary’s first-person narratives take viewers through the Everglades, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale beach and finally, the Keys, where community leaders describe themselves as “the canary in the coal mine” of sea level rise. Viewers will also hear concerns of engineers, civic leaders, real estate and sustainability professionals and environmental advocates.
About Cinema Green
Bringing about environmental change and awareness in our community is one of ECOMB’s primary goals. And this is exactly what Cinema Green Project is all about: through the screening of environmental documentaries, educate and increase the awareness among Miami-Dade County residents about pressing ecological issues in South Florida and around the world.
The Cinema Green Project, produced in collaboration with the Miami Beach Cinematheque, is a monthly film series that fuses lessons learned from each screening with an opportunity to get involved in local sustainability efforts, yielding a more environmentally conscious society. In doing so, ECOMB hopes to inspire advocacy and action amongst the community and provide opportunities for positive change to occur.
About ECOMB
ECOMB is an environmental education nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable living practices, fostering environmental stewardship and preserving our community’s ecology.
The Stand Up, Rise Up! film series is being shown at various locations in Miami, from January 25 through March 22. The next film is “Cowspiracy” on Wednesday, February 8, at Miami Dade College’s Interamerican campus, 627 SW 27 Avenue, room 3103.
Before the Flood
On Wednesday, January 25, at 5:30 p.m., ECOMB’s Cinema Green Project, in partnership with Earth Ethics Institute at Miami Dade College, presents “Before the Flood” from the Stand Up, Rise Up! film series. The film will screen at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus, 300 NE 2 Avenue, Room 7128, in downtown Miami, There will be a panel discussion following the film with Caroline Lewis, CLEO Institute, as Moderator; and panelists Greg Hamra, of the Citizens Climate Lobby, and Delaney Reynolds, from the Miami Sea Rise Project. All Stand Up, Rise Up! films are free, but RSVPs are required. Email ecomb@ecomb.org.
Before the Flood
Actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio travels the world to examine first-hand the effects of climate change, and to learn more about possible ways to prevent catastrophic damage that could make the Earth unsustainable for human life. During his journey, he speaks with such influential figures as President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, and tech innovator Elon Musk, and makes a speech before the United Nations calling for greater action on this issue. Directed by Fisher Stevens. ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi
About Cinema Green
Bringing about environmental change and awareness in our community is one of ECOMB’s primary goals. And this is exactly what Cinema Green Project is all about: through the screening of environmental documentaries, educate and increase the awareness among Miami-Dade County residents about pressing ecological issues in South Florida and around the world.
The Cinema Green Project, produced in collaboration with the Miami Beach Cinematheque, is a monthly film series that fuses lessons learned from each screening with an opportunity to get involved in local sustainability efforts, yielding a more environmentally conscious society. In doing so, ECOMB hopes to inspire advocacy and action amongst the community and provide opportunities for positive change to occur.
About ECOMB
ECOMB is an environmental education nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable living practices, fostering environmental stewardship and preserving our community’s ecology.
The Stand Up, Rise Up! film series is being shown at various locations in Miami, from January 25 through March 22. The next film is “South Florida’s Rising Seas: Impact” on Wednesday, February 1, at EcoTech Visions, 670 NW 112 Street, Miami, FL 33168.
Stand Up! Rise Up! Film Series
One of the many programs and events organized by the Environment Coalition of Miami and the Beaches is also one of my favorites – Cinema Green Project. Their current film offering is six of the episodes from Stand Up, Rise Up! The series will be shown at various locations in Miami, starting January 25 and running through March 22.
Stand Up, Rise Up!
The documentary is a compilation of stories that were produced by 33 video production students at Florida International University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and initially released as a 10-part web series on WPBT2’s YouTube site.
The documentary’s first-person narratives take viewers through the Everglades, Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale beach and finally, the Keys, where community leaders describe themselves as “the canary in the coal mine” of sea level rise. Viewers will also hear concerns of engineers, civic leaders, real estate and sustainability professionals and environmental advocates.
About Cinema Green
Bringing about environmental change and awareness in our community is one of ECOMB’s primary goals. And this is exactly what Cinema Green Project is all about: through the screening of environmental documentaries, educate and increase the awareness among Miami-Dade County residents about pressing ecological issues in South Florida and around the world.
The Cinema Green Project, produced in collaboration with the Miami Beach Cinematheque, is a monthly film series that fuses lessons learned from each screening with an opportunity to get involved in local sustainability efforts, yielding a more environmentally conscious society. In doing so, ECOMB hopes to inspire advocacy and action amongst the community and provide opportunities for positive change to occur.
About ECOMB
ECOMB is an environmental education nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable living practices, fostering environmental stewardship and preserving our community’s ecology.