2/6/2008

Melting Point

Are Florida's beaches among your favorite vacation destinations? Better enjoy them now. The Sunshine State's geography may be permanently altered by the effects of global warming, according to a study that was published this week. And, contrary to popular belief, those landscape-altering effects of climate change may emerge abruptly, rather than as the result of a gradual process.

The study, which was led by Engineering and Public Policy visiting scholar Elmar Kriegler, names certain areas of the planet, or "tipping elements," at the greatest risk for sudden change. It notes that the Arctic sea ice and the Greenland ice sheet are in the most danger.

If the Greenland ice sheet were to melt, the study says, it would displace enough water to raise sea levels 23 feet. Coastal Florida wouldn't be the only area in trouble. Bangladesh and many other regions worldwide would be swallowed up as well.

Kelli McElhinny