However dubious the political situation over our nation’s capital may be, the sinking of Washington DC – literally – is no mere metaphor being bounced around by headlines. This time it’s for real, as a new study points out, and it could really wet the congressmen’s feet.
Soon, the POTUS himself may be going home in Water Force One, or whatever name his official boat would have. That is, if the current situation on global warming is not remedied. And fast. As a report published a few weeks ago presented the apocalyptic scenario in which by the end of this century we will only have half of Florida left, as well as many other coastal area, Washington is one of the easy targets for this flooding.
But this is not the main issue. It appears that on top of rising sea levels, Washington may be dealing with a far more specific problem. Founded in 1790 at the meeting of rivers Potomac and Anacostia, the capital of our nation seems to be dealing with a far greater risk of sinking than previously believed.
It’s no joke. The sea levels around Washington DC are rising twice as fast as the global average, as well as faster than any other place along the East Coast. These readings, taken over the course of 60 years, confirm the long held hypothesis that the Chesapeake region is resting on an ice sheet which got bigger and bigger as time went on, but is now growing smaller and smaller due to climate change.
Trying to prove this theory true, Vermont University researchers drilled about 70 boreholes in and about the region surrounding Washington, near Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Some of these holes got as to 100 feet deep. What they found also confirmed both previous research as well as the whole hypothesis.
So, Washington DC IS sinking. That’s it people. Pack up the White House, your homes, the monument, it’s time to go! Subsidence (this specific type of sinking) is happening. It will probably last for millennia, researchers estimate. And besides this, there’s the 1 to 3 inches sea rise that will be the direct cause of global warming.
The only question that the study asks in the end, as a conclusion, is whether Congress will stand there while the capital sinks, letting their feet get “ever wetter.” After all, a house divided against itself by water will not stand, right?
Image source: gannett-cdn.com
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