Dear EarthTalk: With all the talk of rising seas, what could happen to the
rivers that flow into the oceans? Will they reverse flow? Will rising seas back
up into fresh water lakes? And what happens to our groundwater should saltwater
flow backwards into it? -- Sandy Smith, concerned Michigander
The intrusion of saltwater from the sea into rivers and groundwater is a
serious issue, but the threat is not from a reversal of flow, and our far inland
lakes and rivers are not expected to be directly affected by the salty water of
our oceans. However, the sensitive areas around the edges of our continents,
where fresh water meets salt water, are at risk, and greater efforts must be
taken to protect them. Some 40 percent of world population lives less than 40
miles (60 kilometers) from the shoreline.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global
average sea levels should rise eight to 34 inches by the year 2100, a much
faster pace than the four to 10 inch increase of the past century. Seas rise
because of higher global temperatures, melting mountain glaciers and polar ice
caps, and other factors. Higher temperatures also cause thermal expansion of
ocean water, intensifying the problem.
Rising sea levels cause major problems as they erode and flood coastlines
and, yes, as they mix salt water with fresh. A November 2007 article in
ScienceDaily posited that coastal communities could face significant losses in
fresh water supplies as saltwater intrudes inland. And whereas it had been
previously assumed that salty water could only intrude underground as far as it
did above ground, new studies show that in some cases salt water can go 50
percent further inland underground than it does above ground.
Salty water invading groundwater can reach not only residential water
supplies but intakes for agricultural irrigation and industrial uses, as well.
Economic effects include loss of coastal fisheries and other industries, coastal
protection costs, and the loss of once-valuable coastal property as people move
inland.
Estuaries at the mouths of rivers have in the past handled rising ocean
levels. Sediment that accumulates along the edge of an estuary can raise the
level of the land as the sea levels rise. And mangrove swamps, which buffer many
a coastal zone around the world, flourish in brackish conditions. But because of
our preference for living in coastal areas, and our habit of re-engineering our
surroundings accordingly, humans make matters worse by preventing natural
processes from managing the change. On the coast, we build roads and buildings,
and replace natural buffers like mangrove swamps with dikes and bulkheads to
control flooding, which make the problem worse by preventing beach sediment from
collecting. And as we dam rivers and create reservoirs, we trap the sediment
that would naturally flow down to the sea.
In some places, changes are happening. Governments are beginning to restrict
or prohibit building in setback zones along the coast where risk of erosion is
the greatest. A newer policy of rolling easements is also being tried, where
developers are allowed to build in restricted zones but will be required to
remove the structures if and when they become threatened by erosion. The IPCC
recommends more drastic actions, such as creating more marshes and wetlands as
buffers against the rising level of the sea, and migrating populations and
industry away from coastlines altogether.
CONTACTS: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
www.ipcc.ch.
Dear EarthTalk: Is it better to drive an older, well-maintained car that gets
about 25 miles per gallon, or to buy a new car that gets about 35 miles per
gallon? -- Edward Peabody, via e-mail
It definitely makes more sense from a green perspective to keep your old car
running and well-maintained as long as you canespecially if its getting such
good mileage. There are significant environmental costs to both manufacturing a
new automobile and adding your old car to the ever-growing collective junk heap.
A 2004 analysis by Toyota found that as much as 28 percent of the carbon
dioxide emissions generated during the lifecycle of a typical gasoline-powered
car can occur during its manufacture and its transportation to the dealer; the
remaining emissions occur during driving once its new owner takes possession. An
earlier study by Seikei University in Japan put the pre-purchase number at 12
percent.
Regardless of which conclusion is closer to the truth, your current car has
already passed its manufacture and transport stage, so going forward the
relevant comparison has only to do with its remaining footprint against that of
a new cars manufacture/transport and drivers footprintnot to mention the
environmental impact of either disposing of your old car or selling it to a new
owner who will continue to drive it. There are environmental impacts, too, even
if your old car is junked, dismantled and sold for parts.
And dont forget that the new hybridsdespite lower emissions and better gas
mileageactually have a much larger environmental impact in their manufacture,
compared to non-hybrids. The batteries that store energy for the drive train are
no friend to the environmentand having two engines under one hood increases
manufacturing emissions. And all-electric vehicles are only emission-free if the
outlet providing the juice is connected to a renewable energy source, not a
coal-burning power plant, as is more likely.
If you want to assess your current cars fuel efficiency or emissions, there
are many services available online. The government website FuelEconomy.gov
provides fuel efficiency stats for hundreds of different vehicles dating back to
1985. Websites TrackYourGasMileage.com and MPGTune.com can help you track your
mileage and provide ongoing tips to improve fuel efficiency for your specific
make and model vehicle. MyMileMarker.com takes it a step further, making
projections about annual mileage, fuel costs and fuel efficiency based on your
driving habits. If you have an iPhone, you can keep track of your cars carbon
footprint with the new Greenmeter App from Hunter Research and Technologies.
The program uses numerous variables to make its calculations on-the-go as you
drive, including weather conditions, cost of fuel, vehicle weight, and more.
If you simply must change your vehicle, be it for fuel efficiency or any
other reason, one option is to simply buy a used car that gets better gas
mileage than your existing one. Theres much to be said, from many environmental
vantage points, about postponing replacement purchasesof anything, not just
carsto keep whats already made out of the waste stream and to delay the
additional environmental costs of making something new.
CONTACTS: www.fueleconomy.gov;
www.trackyourgasmileage.com;
www.mpgtune.com;
www.mymilemarker.com; Greenmeter App,
www.hunter.pairsite.com/greenmeter.
GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk, c/o E/The Environmental
Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; submit it at:
www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/thisweek, or e-mail:
earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past
columns at:
www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.
