Don't Worry, Be Happy

Fig. 1 WOD Zone 7307

The East Coast of the U.S. is a place where sea level rise is noticeable (The Extinction of Chesapeake Bay Islands).

But the inhabitants of one island that has not yet been "deep-sixed" in that area, in the Chesapeake Bay area, have been told that The Donald doesn't believe it.

To the islanders it is also not believable (even though "since 1850, over 66% of Tangier's landmass has disappeared underwater"), at least to the majority there who voted for the current U.S. administration of denial (Trump told the mayor of a disappearing island not to worry about sea-level rise).

Fig. 2 SLR Disected

Even though at least thirteen islands in that area have already been deep-sixed, they still seem to buy into exceptionalism of the mythical kind.

The graph at Fig. 1 shows (outlined in red) the WOD zone where Tangier Island is located.

The graph at Fig. 2 shows the sea level rise that has taken place in that area according to 35 tide gauge stations (including the traditional Dredd Blog 5.1% estimate for steric,thermal expansion).

Instruments have been, in some cases, recording and reporting sea level there for over a hundred years:

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Layer 5: latitude 40 -> 30
...
Zone 7307: longitude -70 -> -80

Station #: 234; active: 1922 - 2016 [94 yrs.] Status: SLR (360 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6882.17) end (7242.17) high (7242.17) low (6832.33)
SLC span/range (409.84 mm, 0.40984 m, 1.34462 ft)

Station #: 1721; active: 1988 - 1990 [2 yrs.] Status: SLR (14.58 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7004.17) end (7018.75) high (7018.75) low (7004.17)
SLC span/range (14.58 mm, 0.01458 m, 0.0478346 ft)

Station #: 1651; active: 1986 - 1995 [9 yrs.] Status: SLR (24.66 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7044.04) end (7068.7) high (7068.7) low (6968.04)
SLC span/range (100.66 mm, 0.10066 m, 0.330249 ft)

Station #: 1720; active: 1988 - 1990 [2 yrs.] Status: SLR (120.62 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6998.38) end (7119) high (7171) low (6998.38)
SLC span/range (172.62 mm, 0.17262 m, 0.566339 ft)

Station #: 1444; active: 1978 - 2016 [38 yrs.] Status: SLR (176.16 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6934.17) end (7110.33) high (7145.25) low (6899.88)
SLC span/range (245.37 mm, 0.24537 m, 0.80502 ft)

Station #: 862; active: 1958 - 1977 [19 yrs.] Status: SLR (10.21 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6863.54) end (6873.75) high (6972.83) low (6662)
SLC span/range (310.83 mm, 0.31083 m, 1.01978 ft)

Station #: 1431; active: 1977 - 1988 [11 yrs.] Status: SLF (145.75 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7053.25) end (6907.5) high (7053.25) low (6907.5)
SLC span/range (145.75 mm, 0.14575 m, 0.478182 ft)

Station #: 2294; active: 1979 - 2003 [24 yrs.] Status: SLR (60.45 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6966.17) end (7026.62) high (7095.46) low (6962.71)
SLC span/range (132.75 mm, 0.13275 m, 0.435531 ft)

Station #: 396; active: 1936 - 2016 [80 yrs.] Status: SLR (254.71 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7038.33) end (7293.04) high (7293.04) low (6931.96)
SLC span/range (361.08 mm, 0.36108 m, 1.18465 ft)

Station #: 2295; active: 1974 - 2016 [42 yrs.] Status: SLR (179.88 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7049) end (7228.88) high (7228.88) low (6980.96)
SLC span/range (247.92 mm, 0.24792 m, 0.813386 ft)

Station #: 719; active: 1954 - 1962 [8 yrs.] Status: SLF (75.25 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7008.25) end (6933) high (7056.46) low (6933)
SLC span/range (123.46 mm, 0.12346 m, 0.405052 ft)

Station #: 1636; active: 1986 - 2016 [30 yrs.] Status: SLR (131.3 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7026.7) end (7158) high (7165.92) low (6960.27)
SLC span/range (205.65 mm, 0.20565 m, 0.674705 ft)

Station #: 945; active: 1960 - 1970 [10 yrs.] Status: SLR (27.2 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6947.38) end (6974.58) high (6989.25) low (6849.5)
SLC span/range (139.75 mm, 0.13975 m, 0.458497 ft)

Station #: 399; active: 1936 - 1987 [51 yrs.] Status: SLR (240.83 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6778.17) end (7019) high (7044.5) low (6778.17)
SLC span/range (266.33 mm, 0.26633 m, 0.873786 ft)

Station #: 462; active: 1942 - 1967 [25 yrs.] Status: SLR (51.5 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7070.5) end (7122) high (7286.54) low (6995.79)
SLC span/range (290.75 mm, 0.29075 m, 0.953904 ft)

Station #: 1635; active: 1986 - 2016 [30 yrs.] Status: SLR (186.29 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6977.46) end (7163.75) high (7163.75) low (6940.17)
SLC span/range (223.58 mm, 0.22358 m, 0.73353 ft)

Station #: 299; active: 1928 - 2016 [88 yrs.] Status: SLR (475.38 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6819.79) end (7295.17) high (7295.17) low (6819.79)
SLC span/range (475.38 mm, 0.47538 m, 1.55965 ft)

Station #: 597; active: 1951 - 2003 [52 yrs.] Status: SLR (178.91 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6918.71) end (7097.62) high (7155.25) low (6887)
SLC span/range (268.25 mm, 0.26825 m, 0.880085 ft)

Station #: 1295; active: 1972 - 2016 [44 yrs.] Status: SLR (109.04 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7040.75) end (7149.79) high (7172.83) low (6949.08)
SLC span/range (223.75 mm, 0.22375 m, 0.734088 ft)

Station #: 481; active: 1943 - 1951 [8 yrs.] Status: SLR (78.96 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6939.79) end (7018.75) high (7018.75) low (6939.79)
SLC span/range (78.96 mm, 0.07896 m, 0.259055 ft)

Station #: 360; active: 1932 - 2016 [84 yrs.] Status: SLR (287.33 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6786.12) end (7073.45) high (7120.83) low (6757.5)
SLC span/range (363.33 mm, 0.36333 m, 1.19203 ft)

Station #: 971; active: 1961 - 1973 [12 yrs.] Status: SLR (95.38 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6993.29) end (7088.67) high (7198) low (6909.83)
SLC span/range (288.17 mm, 0.28817 m, 0.94544 ft)

Station #: 412; active: 1938 - 2016 [78 yrs.] Status: SLR (298.3 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6954.62) end (7252.92) high (7308) low (6930.42)
SLC span/range (377.58 mm, 0.37758 m, 1.23878 ft)

Station #: 1203; active: 1968 - 1973 [5 yrs.] Status: SLR (89.66 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6905.17) end (6994.83) high (6996.79) low (6905.17)
SLC span/range (91.62 mm, 0.09162 m, 0.300591 ft)

Station #: 311; active: 1929 - 2016 [87 yrs.] Status: SLR (366.04 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6782.88) end (7148.92) high (7174.46) low (6774.92)
SLC span/range (399.54 mm, 0.39954 m, 1.31083 ft)

Station #: 148; active: 1903 - 2016 [113 yrs.] Status: SLR (315.17 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6867.58) end (7182.75) high (7222.75) low (6807.67)
SLC span/range (415.08 mm, 0.41508 m, 1.36181 ft)

Station #: 1338; active: 1973 - 1983 [10 yrs.] Status: SLR (46.37 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7018.71) end (7065.08) high (7065.08) low (6935.96)
SLC span/range (129.12 mm, 0.12912 m, 0.423622 ft)

Station #: 636; active: 1952 - 2016 [64 yrs.] Status: SLR (237.91 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6880.17) end (7118.08) high (7118.08) low (6852)
SLC span/range (266.08 mm, 0.26608 m, 0.872966 ft)

Station #: 1337; active: 1973 - 1983 [10 yrs.] Status: SLR (59.17 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6963.08) end (7022.25) high (7022.25) low (6860.6)
SLC span/range (161.65 mm, 0.16165 m, 0.530348 ft)

Station #: 224; active: 1920 - 2016 [96 yrs.] Status: SLR (312.93 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6875.86) end (7188.79) high (7200.88) low (6775.75)
SLC span/range (425.13 mm, 0.42513 m, 1.39478 ft)

Station #: 2292; active: 1998 - 2016 [18 yrs.] Status: SLR (50.46 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7031.62) end (7082.08) high (7093.12) low (6870)
SLC span/range (223.12 mm, 0.22312 m, 0.732021 ft)

Station #: 135; active: 1901 - 2016 [115 yrs.] Status: SLR (314.34 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6742.54) end (7056.88) high (7157.46) low (6691)
SLC span/range (466.46 mm, 0.46646 m, 1.53038 ft)

Station #: 786; active: 1986 - 2016 [30 yrs.] Status: SLR (87.9 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7051.18) end (7139.08) high (7177.38) low (6996.17)
SLC span/range (181.21 mm, 0.18121 m, 0.594521 ft)

Station #: 1153; active: 1967 - 2016 [49 yrs.] Status: SLR (180.34 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (7068.58) end (7248.92) high (7276.04) low (6994.79)
SLC span/range (281.25 mm, 0.28125 m, 0.922736 ft)

Station #: 180; active: 1912 - 2016 [104 yrs.] Status: SLR (458.16 mm)
SLC info (RLR mm): begin (6749.88) end (7208.04) high (7245.4) low (6749.88)
SLC span/range (495.52 mm, 0.49552 m, 1.62572 ft)

(Databases Galore - 19) [go to this link if you are not aware of PSMSL].

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Let this grandiose denial be a lesson for you, as it has been for me.

I am talking about the psychology of folks who are endangered by sea level changes but who cannot or will not believe it:

"A recent paper by the biologist Janis L Dickinson, published in the journal Ecology and Society, proposes that constant news and discussion about global warming makes it difficult for people to repress thoughts of death, and that they might respond to the terrifying prospect of climate breakdown in ways that strengthen their character armour but diminish our chances of survival. There is already experimental evidence suggesting that some people respond to reminders of death by increasing consumption. Dickinson proposes that growing evidence of climate change might boost this tendency, as well as raising antagonism towards scientists and environmentalists. Our message, after all, presents a lethal threat to the central immortality project of Western society: perpetual economic growth, supported by an ideology of entitlement and exceptionalism."

(Convergence - Fear of Death Syndrome). It is a phenomenon that spreads through culture like a disease (Comparing a Group-Mind Trance to a Cultural Amygdala, MOMCOM's Mass Suicide & Murder Pact - 3).

Don't worry be happy?

The next post in this series is here.

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