Sea Level Rise on US Coast

Scientists have noticed that the sea level around the eastern coast of the U.S. is rising much faster and higher than predicted. Higher and faster sea level rising means that populations in low lying areas must be ready for flood type conditions.  It has been a consensus that conditions are going to be much worst than predicted by the International Panel on Climate change(IPCC).  The IPCC predicted a rise of 2 mm per year.  Satellite research has found that sea levels are rising at 3.2 mm per year.  This may not seem like much but it actually 60% faster than predicted.  Further mitigation will have to be done in the coastal region to protect against floods.  The use of satellite research and predicting weather patterns makes this fall in to the engineering paradigm.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/28/us-coastal-cities-sea-level-rise

Hurricane Sandy and the Swiss Cheese Model

Hurricane Sandy was not your typical hurricane.  There were many pieces that fell together just right that created this super storm.  This is called the Swiss Cheese Model.  As seen with Sandy, everything lines up perfect to create an unlikely outcome.  First of all, a low pressure system over Greenland altered the jet stream.  This allowed Sandy to move further west than most hurricanes because it was not pushed out by the jet stream, it was actually sucked in.  This along with the warm water temperature of the Gulf fueled Sandy and gave it its staying power to move onto land.  Once the storm made landfall, it combined with another system approaching from the west.  Add in the moon phase which made for high tides on the east coast and you have yourself a major storm on your hands.  With higher tides in the area, this will allow for a higher storm surge; pulling more water inland and causing more destruction.

http://www.ouramazingplanet.com/3692-perfect-storm-hurricane-sandy.html