Gulf Of Thailand Won't Rise With Global Warming, Expert Claims

[qualtrough]

This is interesting...

Asia-Pacific News

Gulf of Thailand won't rise with global warming, expert claims

Apr 23, 2007, 3:03 GMT

Apr 23, 2007, 3:03 GMT

Bangkok - Global warming is not likely to cause the sea level in the Gulf of Thailand to rise because the body of water is too far from melting glaciers, a leading Thai hydrologist claimed on Monday. Recent forecasts by the United Nations' Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which predict a 40 centimetre rise in sea levels by the end of the century will cause flooding for up to 94 million Asians living in coastal areas, may not apply to the Gulf of Thailand, according to Suphat Vongvisessomjai, a former professor in water resources engineering at Bangkok's Asia Institute of Technology.

BBC 25/5/07

The village that was swallowed by the sea

By Bethan Jinkinson

Samut Prakan province,Thailand

Just an hour's drive south of the Thai capital Bangkok , the small coastal village of Khun Samutchine is facing a daily battle with the sea.

Village scene

The sea is coming in at an alarming rate

The village is suffering from the effects of severe coastal erosion: the sea comes in at a rate of approximately 25 metres a year.

Environmentalists say the erosion experienced in the area is probably some of the worst in the world.

Dr Thanawat Jarupongsakul, a scientist from Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University says that climate change has helped cause the loss of nearly 600 km of Thailand's coastline.

"Climate change has resulted in more intense waves and rougher seas during the monsoon period," he said. "The average height of waves used to be between one and 1.5 metres, but now it has increased to between two and four metres high."

[steveromagnino]

Methinks you need to learn the difference between wave action/erosion vs. rising sea.

In still water, you have little erosion. Current, waves, high water they all can cause increasing erosion, as is clearly happening with this village; my guess is the stronger winds coming in from the south west hit that coast and just suck out the soil; they probably also built a road near the shore, and this has degraded the eco system that previously protected them - mangroves, heavier rock formation, heavier grades of sludge/silt, that sort of thing.

Couple this with the increased run off coming in bursts down the rivers, and it could be that the current wrapping south might have generated a new surf against current which makes the waves churn more.

It could be the effects of El Nino/La Nina.

It could be blamed on the boogie.

An interesting juxtaposition of stories, but at least in my mind, they can both happen simultaneously; kind of like flash floods and deserts.

[jeebusjones]

The sheer ignorance of some posters never ceases to amaze me, but this post really takes the cake. OP, you need to crack a book and learn the difference between...

...Global warming and erosion. Just kidding . Now we're even.

But seriously, the second article did say that the increased erosion was caused by more extreme weather in recent years, and that extreme weather has been caused by "climate change," which I take to mean human-induced global warming.

I think there is a relation here and this situation is just one of the first of many terrible events to come.

[qualtrough]

Methinks you need to learn the difference between wave action/erosion vs. rising sea.

In still water, you have little erosion. Current, waves, high water they all can cause increasing erosion, as is clearly happening with this village; my guess is the stronger winds coming in from the south west hit that coast and just suck out the soil; they probably also built a road near the shore, and this has degraded the eco system that previously protected them - mangroves, heavier rock formation, heavier grades of sludge/silt, that sort of thing.

Couple this with the increased run off coming in bursts down the rivers, and it could be that the current wrapping south might have generated a new surf against current which makes the waves churn more.

It could be the effects of El Nino/La Nina.

It could be blamed on the boogie.

An interesting juxtaposition of stories, but at least in my mind, they can both happen simultaneously; kind of like flash floods and deserts.

Methinks you need to get off your high horse as I understand all the phenomena you mention. As a more astute forum member observed, the second story posits changes in weather as a possible factor behind the erosion, which might (or might not) be linked to the global warming mentioned in the first story.

[astral]

I am not sure coastal erosion and global warming are the same??

In the UK I can remember erosion stories dating back 50 years...........

[qualtrough]

The sheer ignorance of some posters never ceases to amaze me, but this post really takes the cake. OP, you need to crack a book and learn the difference between...

...Global warming and erosion. Just kidding . Now we're even.

But seriously, the second article did say that the increased erosion was caused by more extreme weather in recent years, and that extreme weather has been caused by "climate change," which I take to mean human-induced global warming.

I think there is a relation here and this situation is just one of the first of many terrible events to come.

Hi Jeebus, I was rather harsh on you.

[ThaiGoon]

Methinks you need to learn the difference between wave action/erosion vs. rising sea.

In still water, you have little erosion. Current, waves, high water they all can cause increasing erosion, as is clearly happening with this village; my guess is the stronger winds coming in from the south west hit that coast and just suck out the soil; they probably also built a road near the shore, and this has degraded the eco system that previously protected them - mangroves, heavier rock formation, heavier grades of sludge/silt, that sort of thing.

Couple this with the increased run off coming in bursts down the rivers, and it could be that the current wrapping south might have generated a new surf against current which makes the waves churn more.

It could be the effects of El Nino/La Nina.

It could be blamed on the boogie.

An interesting juxtaposition of stories, but at least in my mind, they can both happen simultaneously; kind of like flash floods and deserts.

Methinks you need to get off your high horse as I understand all the phenomena you mention. As a more astute forum member observed, the second story posits changes in weather as a possible factor behind the erosion, which might (or might not) be linked to the global warming mentioned in the first story.

Methinks Steve is right.

[chuchok]

This is interesting...

Asia-Pacific News

Gulf of Thailand won't rise with global warming, expert claims

Apr 23, 2007, 3:03 GMT

Apr 23, 2007, 3:03 GMT

Bangkok - Global warming is not likely to cause the sea level in the Gulf of Thailand to rise because the body of water is too far from melting glaciers, a leading Thai hydrologist claimed on Monday. Recent forecasts by the United Nations' Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which predict a 40 centimetre rise in sea levels by the end of the century will cause flooding for up to 94 million Asians living in coastal areas, may not apply to the Gulf of Thailand, according to Suphat Vongvisessomjai, a former professor in water resources engineering at Bangkok's Asia Institute of Technology.

Hmm,can somebody please explain what this dude means??

[ThaiGoon]

This is interesting...

Asia-Pacific News

Gulf of Thailand won't rise with global warming, expert claims

Apr 23, 2007, 3:03 GMT

Apr 23, 2007, 3:03 GMT

Bangkok - Global warming is not likely to cause the sea level in the Gulf of Thailand to rise because the body of water is too far from melting glaciers, a leading Thai hydrologist claimed on Monday. Recent forecasts by the United Nations' Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which predict a 40 centimetre rise in sea levels by the end of the century will cause flooding for up to 94 million Asians living in coastal areas, may not apply to the Gulf of Thailand, according to Suphat Vongvisessomjai, a former professor in water resources engineering at Bangkok's Asia Institute of Technology.

Hmm,can somebody please explain what this dude means??

There's already a lengthy scientifc discussion about this in another thread.

[sbk]

Lao Po has already posted this exact same article here