Project Noah: Managing the Rise of Modern Sea Level

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World sea levels have been rising throughout this century, and there is a consensus that will continue to rise. Littoral populations have responded in two general ways: by moving inland and by building defenses, e.g., dykes and barrages, being both measures expensive and/or economically and socially disruptive. The present work will explore a third option for managing the sea level rise: the manipulation of the natural sources and sinks of ocean water volumes by storing water in unsaturated aquifers. It is estimated that diversions of ocean-bound freshwater affected during this century has already resulted in a reduction in the rate of increase of the rising of sea levels. Additional diversions may be an economic solution to this potentially catastrophic hazard. The project will utilize geological records on moisture deficient regions, data on the effects of natural and man-made water impoundments on global water balance, Landsat imagery, and material form the Thematic Mapper panels, in selected areas of the U.S., Ukraine, India, the Sahel, and Argentina.