The combination of the Moon’s natural cycle and climate change is projected to lead to an increase in floods in the 2030s.
The next natural changes in the Moon’s orbit, the so-called “oscillation” of the Moon, along with sea level rise caused by climate change could cause record flooding on Earth in the coming years, according to a recent study by the U.S. space agency NASA and the University of Hawaii.
Record floods are expected to begin in the 2030s and last ten years, according to the study, which focused on the effect of the phenomenon in the United States.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were 600 high-tide floods in the U.S. in 2019. That number is projected to increase several times through the 2030s, according to the study, published in the journal Nature Climate. Floods are expected to occur in groups that could last a month or more.
Although the high tide floods in question involve less water and are often considered less harmful than the floods caused by hurricane floods, “it is the cumulative effect over time that will have an impact,” Phil Thompson said. assistant professor at the University of Hawaii the study’s author said in a statement.
“If it floods 10 or 15 times a month, a company cannot continue to operate its underwater car park. People lose their jobs because they can’t start working, ”he said. “Pit leaks become a public health problem.”
The so-called “swinging” of the Moon is not a new phenomenon. It was first reported in 1728 and is part of a natural cycle of 18.6 years. During the first half of the cycle, the regular tides of the Earth are suppressed. During the second half, the tides amplify, according to NASA.
The Moon is currently in the middle of its amplification cycle, as it causes an increase in flooding along many coasts, a result of high sea levels caused by climate change, according to NASA.
There will be another decade of sea level rise serious consequences when the Moon is back in the middle of its amplification cycle, the researchers found, which caused an increase in flooding on all the continental coasts of the United States, Hawaii and Guam, and only saved northern coasts. with Alaska.
The researchers studied 89 tidal indicator locations in coastal regions of U.S. states and territories, astronomical cycles, and the likelihood of tidal-affecting phenomena to make projections, which extend into 2080.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement that research is crucial to allowing coastal areas to prepare for the flooded future.
“The combination of the Moon’s gravitational pull, sea level rise and climate change will continue to aggravate coastal flooding on our coasts and around the world,” he said.
“NASA’s sea level change team provides crucial information so we can plan, protect and prevent damage to the environment and livelihoods of people affected by the floods.”
