Computer projections of the future climate have suggested that New York City will receive harsher, yet fewer storms in the near future.  The power of these storms will be derived from rising sea levels, caused by the melting of Antartic ice.  This ice is melting due to the increase in temperatures caused by global warming.  By 2100, many experts project that the world will be at least eight degrees warmer (Denchack 2016).  The melting of Antartic ice is estimated to cause an increase in the global sea level by three feet by the end of this century.  This will cause a large increase in the amount of storm surges that New York City receives.  A storm surge with a risk level near that of Hurrican Sandy used to be a one-in-500-years event in 1800.  This has changed to a one-in-25-years event and is projected to become an even more frequent event over time.  The rising sea level is not expected to stop by the end of this century but is expected to continue all the way to 2280-2300 if Antarctica will partially collapse.  This means even more storm surges for New York City, which can have many catastrophic effects on it.  Flooding causes erosion of rocks and soil, which can cause buildings to lose their foundations or become waterlogged (National Geographic).

New York City is a highly dense area, which makes it an especially dangerous place for flooding.  Besides decreasing structural integrity, floods carry diseases, hazardous materials, sharp debris, pesticides, and untreated sewage (National Geographic).  This can lead to New York City becoming an incredibly dangerous place to live in even after floods have recreated.  A major storm surge will ruin New York City’s economy since its real estate value will collapse and people will not be able to work there for a period of time after a major flood.  Damage caused by floods are proportional to the sea level which causes them.  This is why the melting of Antarctic ice directly affects the lives of New Yorkers, even though it might be 8,000 miles away.  High sea levels also mean higher death rates since floods will be more extreme, and can cover a larger area.

Works Cited

Mooney, Chris. “New science suggests the ocean could rise more – and faster – than we thought.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 26 Oct. 2017, www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/10/26/new-science-suggests-the-ocean-could-rise-more-and-faster-than-we-thought/.

Denchak, Melissa. “Are the Effects of Global Warming Really that Bad?” NRDC, 25 July 2017, www.nrdc.org/stories/are-effects-global-warming-really-bad.

Society, National Geographic. “Flood.” National Geographic Society, 9 Oct. 2012, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/flood/.