The Netherlands, New Orleans, and Dealing with Sea Level Rise

In class 4 we watched a video about the amazing Dutch engineers managing the Netherlands water issues over centuries, but especially dramatic efforts since the late 1950's..... Holland's Barriers to the Sea. The New Orleans perspective begins about minute 32, and based on joint efforts of understanding for best options going forward, both New Orleans and the Netherlands are looking to use the Mississippi and the Rhine River runoff sediment to build up (elevate) marsh land and farm land surrounding populated areas as an additional protection.

In Delaware, we are in some ways doing the same, although in a more man made form. We are extensively dredging the Delaware River channel in the Delaware Bay to enable deeper draft, more economical ships to reach the ports of Wilmington and Philadelphia......AND we are using much of the dredged materials to rebuild bay and coastal dunes for protection from storms and sea level rise.

Two other short Dutch videos explained their ingenious approaches to floating homes and farms:
Flood Proof Homes the Dutch Way   
Floating Farm Rotterdam

So in our final class, we will explore how Delaware might utilize what others are doing around the World to help us plan to deal with sea level rise more effectively. Joan and I hope you will come to our last class brimming-over with good ideas which we can pass on to those in power in Delaware.

Prime Hook NWR and our last Oceans and Climate Change Class, 3/30/15

This short post confirms that the main topic for our last class will be a presentation about Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge coastal restoration plans, given by Al Rizzo, Project Leader, Coastal Delaware National Wildlife Refuge Complex. As I mentioned in our Mar 23 class, the plans, aka Draft Environmental Assessment, are available on-line. See my March 11, 2015 post, or just go directly to Building a Stronger Coast.

Above photo of Fowler Beach at Prime Hook, from Cape Gazette

Al has said his presentation will be 20 to 25 minutes. I have promised him unlimited time afterwards for questions and answers. If his presentation is convincing (which I am sure it will be), and questions are few, I will conclude our last class by presenting information on "Floating Cities"...a topic which, as an engineer, I find both fascinating and applicable to what the World faces.

 Above photo of 3 floating slum buildings from waterstudio.nl