The moon has seen climate change in the 2030s causing coastal flooding, Reuters said

By Dan Fastenberg

(Reuters) – The U.S. coast will experience increasing flooding in the mid-2030s due to a regular lunar cycle that will increase sea level rise caused by climate change, according to research led by NASA scientists.

The key factor identified by scientists is the regular “vortex” in the orbit of the moon – XVIII. It was first identified in the century – it needs 18.6 years. The Moon’s gravitational pull helps propel the Earth’s tides.

In the middle of this lunar cycle, the Earth’s regular daily tides decrease, with tides being lower than usual and tides higher than usual. In the other half of the cycle, the situation is reversed, with tides higher and lower.

The researchers said part of the ongoing rise in sea level associated with climate change and part of the amplification of the lunar cycle will come from a combination of floods that arrived in the mid-2030s.

“In the background, we have a long-term sea level rise linked to global warming. Sea levels are rising everywhere,” NASA team leader Ben Hamlington and one of the authors of the study told Reuters.

“This effect of the moon causes the tides to change, so what we’ve found is that this effect coincides with rising sea levels below that, which is exactly what will cause flooding between 2030 and 2040,” Hamlington said.

The researchers looked at the 89 tide gauge in every coastal territory and territory in the United States aside from Alaska. The effect of the dynamics applies to the entire planet, except on distant northern coasts like Alaska.

The forecast is backed by estimates of about 70 years of severe coastal flooding.

The research, published this month in the journal Nature Climate Change, is led by members of a NASA science team that monitors changes in sea level. The research is based on U.S. coasts, but the findings could be applied to coasts around the world, NASA said.

“It opens the eyes of a lot of people,” Hamlington said. “It’s really critical information for organizers. And I think there’s a lot of interest in trying to get that information into science and scientists into the hands of planners.”

Hamlington said urban planners should plan accordingly.

“A specific building or infrastructure, maybe something you want to be in for a long time, protect for a few years, or something else you want to have access to.”