What a century of rising seas can tell us about the next 30 years

Popular Science 

(member:郭哲豪、陳柏均)

website: https://www.popsci.com/science/

What a century of rising seas can tell us about the next 30 years

Main idea

The impact of rising seas in the US and their solution to solve the problems of coastal communities.

Supporting detail

1.        Nowadays, there are many areas in the US suffering from floods due to the rising seas. 

2.        The speed of the rising seas is quicker than before, which causes more floods in the US.

3.        The government has started the program to help the coastal communities. 

Evidence

1.        Glaciers react quickly to rising temperatures, says Thomas Frederikse, a sea-level expert at NASA’s Joint Propulsion Lab, and an author of the recent NOAA report, but they don’t hold much water overall. 

2.        The Atlantic coast, which has seen roughly 8 inches of rising since 1980, bulged upwards during the height of the last ice age and has been dropping ever since. 

3.      One of the country’s first standing buyout programs is in New Jersey. The program, called Blue Acres, started in 1995 and grew with an infusion of federal money from Hurricane Sandy. It purchases homes in any county affected by Hurricane Sandy, as well as properties that have experienced repeated flooding. The land is then turned into public open space, with the goal of creating coastal buffer zones that will soak up future flooding. 

Connection

Everybody knows that Taiwan is an island surrounded by seas, so we are likely to face the same problem in the future. Therefore, we should take precautions to avoid the worst condition.

Related Vocabulary

1.     gauge: to calculate an amount, especially by using a measuring device

à Use a thermometer to gauge the temperature

2.     cartographer: someone who makes or draws maps

à I suspect that many cartographers and geographers of the highest standards would have great arguments about whether certain parts were or were not moor.

3.     substantial: large in size, value, or importance

àShe inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.

4.     bulge: a curved shape sticking out from the surface of something

à I wondered what the bulge in her coat pocket was.

5.     extraction: the process of removing something, especially by force

à The extraction of minerals has damaged the countryside

6.     buyout: a situation in which a person or group buys all the shares belonging to a company and so gets control of it

à I have mentioned that management-employee buyouts are a means by which we wish to see employees participating in the future of their own companies.

7.     buffer: something or someone that helps protect from harm

à I bought a house as a buffer against inflation.

8.     resilient: able to quickly return to a previous good condition

à She's a resilient girl - she won't be unhappy for long.

9.     incentive: something that encourages a person to do something

à Tax incentives have been very effective in encouraging people to save and invest more of their income.