Bye bye Manhattan

Interesting article/angle on Global Warming on the BBC site yesterday. It's talking about how scientists have discovered mummified remains of plants in the frozen hinterland of Antarctica. These remains are from approximately 2.6 - 5.3 million years ago in an era called the Pliocene. The key thing about this time is that average temperatures were a  few degrees higher than they are today but the levels of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere were comparable, i.e. around 400 parts per million (we know this because of ice-core sampling). The scary thing is that sea levels were on average around 10-20 meters (yes METERS!) above where they are today. These facts beg the question, "so why aren't temperatures and sea levels that high today?" the answer is chilling. There is an obvious lag in the system. A good analogy is that when you set your oven at 200 centigrade, this temperature isn't reached instantaneously, it takes time to heat up. Similarly with Carbon Dioxide levels set at 400 it will take around 300-500 years (est.) for the temperature to crank upward; then the polar ice caps melt (i.e. permitting plants to grow in Antarctica) and sea levels follow.

Imagine sea levels 10 meters (32 feet) higher than they are today, imagine how all those coastal mega-cities will be impacted, London, Sydney, Mumbai.. Someone should write a song about it, perhaps call it something like "Bye bye Manhattan"?