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7 cities that are about to sink
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Many of us take for granted the notion that all of our beloved cities will be around for centuries to come. However, several cities around the world seem to be vying for the title of "The Next Atlantis." Shaky foundations and encroaching seas are posing significant threats to some of the world's largest and most beloved cities. When planning your next vacation, keep in mind that some of the world's favorite destinations have a bit of a ticking clock on them. Here are seven major cities that are preparing to take the plunge.
7. Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand's capital is sinking -- and fast. However, unlike other cities on our list, a shoddy foundation isn't necessarily to blame. Resting on the Chao Phraya River -- which flows into the Bay of Bangkok about 30 miles south of the city center - this colossal settlement is more likely to drown than sink. Experts now say that this mouthwatering foodie destination -- along with the dozens of beautiful temples found here -- may be under water in as few as seven years.
According to Thai scientist Dr. Ajong Chumsai na Ayudhya, the fate of Bangkok can best be explained by global warming. Asia News Network reports that "Ajong said humans were mainly to blame for such disasters because they were using up natural resources, chopping down forests and kept emitting greenhouse gases with no regard for the future." Ajong also says that changes in the earth's overall climate will lead to more severe tsunamis in the Gulf of Thailand that will have extremely negative effects on the southern portion of the country. With less than a decade to spare, time might be running out for a trip to Thailand's most popular tourist getaway.
6. New York City, New York
If you've never seen the Statue of Liberty or been dazzled by the lights of Times Square, now's the time. Much like its Thai comrade, America's
most densely populated city is doomed to suffer the effects of global warming. Sitting at the mouth of the Hudson River where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean, this concrete jungle will soon be at a much higher risk of damage from rising sea levels and imposing tropical storms. And unlike the ones bobbing around in a barrel on Halloween, this Big Apple will not float.
Science Daily reports that the sea levels in the New York City area are expected to rise about twice as quickly as sea levels around the world, meaning that Gotham will take the plunge well before the rest of the United States. However, Science Daily says that flooding is just one of the symptoms New York will suffer: "The submersion of low-lying land, erosion of beaches, conversion of wetlands to open water and increase in the salinity of estuaries all can affect ecosystems and damage existing coastal development." Not only will the Empire City be transformed into a wading pool, but it will slowly be washed out to sea.
5. Houston, Texas
Houston, we really do have a problem: soon NASA's Visitor's Center won't just be stuck on Earth, but in it as well. The city that Fodor's deems Texas' most cosmopolitan is struggling to stay above ground. Built on a gold mine of natural resources and the determination to flourish, Space City has become a major energy hub and the taking-off point for U.S. space exploration. However, America's fourth-largest city was built on a foundation of sand. Literally.
Houston sits on the loosely packed banks of four major bayous that empty into the Gulf of Mexico. For years, residents of Houston relied on groundwater to fulfill their needs, but the mass amounts of extraction needed to supply the ever-expanding city weakened Houston's foothold. Oil extraction was also damaging to the foundation, as was continuous sprawl, not to mention the 300 or so active fault lines that run beneath Houston's streets and skyscrapers. Now, many parts of this metropolis -- specifically Jersey Village to the northwest -- are sinking by as much as two inches per year, according to Science Daily. Experts note that while sinking has slowed significantly in areas that have stopped extracting ground water, a permanent solution to Houston's problem has yet to be found. If Houston is on your list of cities to see, you'd best prepare soon for take-off.
4. Shanghai, China
Things aren't looking good for Shanghai, either. Located on China's coast, this sprawling city was built on swamplands surrounding the mouth
of the Yangze River. Originally a small fishing village, Shanghai began to draw more and more residents in the mid-19th century. Modest homes were replaced by breathtaking skyscrapers (not to mention some of the best shopping venues in Asia), and Shanghai soon became the most densely populated city in the world, housing over 20 million people by 2001. The city was handling rapid expansion just fine until the early 20th century, when wells became a major source of water and the underlying sediment deposit was disturbed. According to PBS, Shanghai sank roughly eight feet between 1921 and 1965, which equals about two inches per year. The city still continues to drop at a rate of about half an inch per year.
According to experts, not much can be done to keep Shanghai above ground -- the city is simply too heavy for its foundation. However, in an effort to slow the sinking process, all new high-rise buildings must be built with deep concrete piles to help support their weight. If you have any interest in seeing the architecture for which Shanghai is both famous and floundering, don't wait too long.
3. New Orleans, Louisiana
When colonists chose New Orleans as the capital of French Louisiana, they did so because of its inland locale. However, any land protection the city had has been washed away, making America's favorite place to celebrate (approximately half of which sits at or below sea level) even more prone to tropical storms.
It wasn't until after Hurricane Katrina that experts really took note of New Orleans' downhill situation. In 2006, National Geographic reported that the city sank about a quarter of an inch per year in the years leading up to Hurricane Katrina, while the levees designed to protect the city from the Gulf sank at four or five times that rate, exacerbating the long-term effects of the storm. Experts say that not much can be done to save the Big Easy. According to a report issued in 2009 by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council, "Levees and floodwalls surrounding New Orleans ... cannot provide absolute protection against overtopping or failure in extreme events. ... If relocation is not feasible, an alternative would be to elevate the first floor of buildings to at least the 100-year flood level." Just goes to show that there's never a time like the present to don your Mardi Gras mask and head south to Bourbon Street.
2. Venice, Italy
It's been several hundred years since the Venetians decided to construct the towering St. Mark's Basilica and sprawling Piazza San Marco atop
submerged wooden planks and forgo roads in favor of canals. Back in the day, the city's geography made sense: Direct access to the sea was necessary in order for Venitians to maintain control of commerce on the Mediterranean Sea. But the dig for fresh water proved to have a negative impact on this fish-shaped city: According to The Christian Science Monitor, Venice has sunk almost a foot over the past 100 years. To make things worse, water levels in the Mediterranean Sea are also rising. Although acqua alta (high water) has plagued this ornate tourist hotspot for centuries, flooding frequency has increased dramatically in recent years. Justin Demetri of LifeInItaly.com notes that Venice now experiences over 60 bouts of acqua alta each year.
Preserving Venice has been a priority of the Italian Government for about 30 years. Several billion euros have been dedicated to a flood defense system, the MOSE Project, which is expected to be completed in 2011 or 2012. However, some experts claim that the only way to save the city is to move it altogether. Either way, if you've always dreamed of a gondola ride through the Bride of the Sea, you had better do so soon with galoshes in tow.
1. Mexico City, Mexico
Resting on a fickle lake bed in the Valley of Mexico, Mexico City has been facing the possibility of going under for centuries. However, according to geologists, there are parts of this massive metropolis that are sinking by as much as eight inches per year. Because of a lack of sufficient drainage, the city was heavily prone to flooding from groundwater flowing down from the surrounding mountains, leading to the construction of a vast underground drainage system. But over-extraction of groundwater from the Texcoco lake bed during the 20th century has caused the city's clay foundation to crumble, forcing the metropolis to sink deeper into the ground. And as the city sinks, so does the drainage system, forcing waste water to reverse its course and head back into the city. According to AZCentral.com, Mexico City's drainage capacity has decreased by 30 per cent since 1975.
There are several projects underway to keep this sinking city afloat, including a 23-foot-wide (US$1.1 billion) Eastern Drainage Tunnel that will deposit waste water about 40 miles north of the city. The tunnel should be completed by 2012. Work is also being done to help save the architectural gems -- like the popular Metropolitan Cathedral -- found in the Historic District, which are one of the city's major tourist draws. But despite best efforts, engineers say that there is no way to keep Mexico City from sinking.
The planet's most polluted spots
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The BP oil spill brought attention to one of the worst environmental disasters of the year, and while a cap has contained it so far, the Gulf of Mexico will undoubtedly take years to clean up.
With the world population soaring to nearly seven billion, it's becoming more difficult to find areas that have not been polluted by human development, including right in our own back yard. A recent study published in the National Academy of Sciences shows that the Alberta tar sands are releasing hazardous levels of heavy metals such as lead and mercury into the province's air and water. Of course, the BP oil spill and Alberta tar sands are just a couple more things to throw into the growing list of the world's polluted places.
According to a report on nuclear waste from the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington-based global environmental organization, Lake Karachay in Russia is the most polluted spot on the planet. Originally a weapons production site turned dumping ground for radioactive waste, the legacy of the Cold War weapons program has left the region pock-marked.
The radiation level there is so high it's enough to give a human a lethal dose after one hour of exposure .
The Natural Resources Defense Council has said Karachay is equal to dumping all of the waste tanks at Washington's Hanford Reservation into a 30-acre lake.
The lake has been drying out since the 1960s, allowing radioactive dust to be blown away and irradiating half a million people nearby. To counter this, authorities have filled the lake with concrete to prevent the sediments from shifting, but it's still unknown whether clean up of the contaminated area is possible.
Predictably, the radiation has leaked into the region's ground water supply, and some experts even fear the radioactivity could reach the Tetscha river and then onward to the Atlantic Ocean, which would mean a worldwide contamination.
Claiming the crown for the world's most air-polluted city is Linfen, China. Located in the Shanxi province, Linfen sits in the heart of China's coal belt. The hills in the surrounding area are lined with mines, injecting burning coal, soot and toxic ash into the blue-black hazy air.
According to a Time article, hanging laundry in the city turns black before it dries completely. Dubbed "Hell on Earth" by a British journalist, spending a day in the city is equivalent to smoking three packs of cigarettes.
Around 30 million people rely on the Citarum River as a water source in Bandung, Indonesia, yet industrial waste from textile factories spew into the world's most polluted river daily. Often the only filtration system available for the village of Sukamaju is a towel or sock over a waterspout. Drinking water is boiled, which kills bacteria but it won't get rid of the chemicals and heavy metals.
Aside from factories dumping its waste into the river, locals use it as an open sewer system. Full of garbage and fecal matter, children play and bathe in the black water, and crops are grown beside the "sick" river.
In North America, the City of Angels nabs the title of U.S. city with the most polluted ozone according to the American Lung Association .
L.A., the second most populous city in the U.S. boasts a lethal combination of heavy traffic, sunshine and scorching heat, which all contribute to 18,000 premature deaths a year from particle pollution.
Named the most chemically polluted city in the world by The Guinness Book of World Records , Dzerzhinsk in Russia, has been a toxic dumping ground for decades.
Between 1930 and 1998, estimates of 300,000 tons of chemical waste were improperly disposed in the area. The impact has been huge, and in 2003, Dzerzhinsk's death rate exceeded its birth rate by 260 per cent .
Efforts are being made to clean up these "sick" areas but the battle is still uphill, often with environmental concerns clashing with business interests.
Are we headed towards a future of living in a toxic waste dump?
Share your thoughts and other polluted places with usDrought ruins Russia wheat, U.S. says no world crisis
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But its authoritative monthly report said the world stocks-to-use ratio, the amount of wheat available in proportion to consumption, was estimated at 26 percent, well above the 20.3 percent seen in 2007/08 when food shortages sent prices soaring and led to riots.
The lowered estimate prompted a surge in Chicago wheat futures prices, which had fallen 10 percent from two-year highs touched last week. At 9:33 a.m. CDT (1433 GMT), CBOT September wheat futures were up 19 cents at $7.13-3/4 a bushel.
In Russia President Dmitry Medvedev, visiting southern agricultural areas of what has been the world's third biggest wheat exporter, said many farmers were close to bankruptcy.
"Grain has been lost on one quarter of the sown area," he said.
In response to its worst drought in a century, Russia has imposed a grain export ban which is due to come into force from August 15 to restrain domestic food prices.
Medvedev said the ban could be lifted before its planned December 31 expiry, depending on the harvest, although Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said it could last into 2011.
Meanwhile, Russian Agriculture Ministry data showed the country may export no more than 4.5 million tons of grain in the 2010/11 crop marketing year and may have none to export after the ban expires on December 31.
"With a crop of 60-65 million tons exports may be 2.0-4.5 million tons," it said in a presentation.
Russia's farming anxieties were now focused increasingly on possible problems in planting of winter wheat, due soon for harvest next year, and even for next spring's planting campaign. A government commission on the drought was due to discuss this on Friday.
"(Winter) sowing is unlikely at least until September," Roman Vilfand, director of the Hydrometcentre, the Russian government weather forecasting service, told a news briefing.
"The will not be sufficient rains for the sowing until the last 10 days of August. There will be rains in the last 10 days but not very intensive."
Winter grains, mainly wheat, account roughly for 40 percent of Russia's total grain output.
UKRAINE CUSTOMS
Meanwhile in neighboring Ukraine, also hit by heat, the government was considering limiting exports of wheat and barley in the 2010/11 season, while traders said the Customs Service was already blocking shipments.
Ukraine, the world's largest exporter of barley and sixth-largest of wheat, is due to make a final decision on export quotas on August 18.
"According to the information we have, the government plans to introduce a quota on wheat and barley," Volodymyr Klymenko, the head of UZA union, told a news conference. "We have heard about the figure of 5 million tons for wheat plus barley."
In the 2009/10 season, which runs from July to June, Ukraine exported 9.2 million tons of wheat and 6.2 million of barley.
KIEV/TAGANROG, Russia (Reuters) - As Russia faced drought losses on a quarter of its grain area and Pakistan feared floods had ruined half a million tons of wheat, the U.S. government slashed world wheat crop estimates but said there was no global crisis.
The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) reduced its forecast for the world wheat harvest by 2.3 percent on Thursday to 645.73 million tons in its August report, below the 650.02 million tons traders expected.
Traders said customs had virtually halted exports from Ukraine after a surge in domestic grain prices risked triggering rises in bread price. Klymenko said at least 15 grain vessels were in Black Sea ports awaiting permission to leave.
The Customs Service itself said it had prevented export of 28,500 tons of wheat because of incorrect paperwork.
US WHEAT PROSPECTS BRIGHT
The USDA data showed unexpectedly strong production forecast for the United States, which will be expected to fill any global deficit.
It pegged the 2010/11 U.S. all wheat crop at 2.265 billion bushels, helping maintain world wheat stocks about 40 percent above the crisis levels seen in 2007/08.
Washington was already preparing to grab the chance offered by Russia's export curb to meet demand in markets such as Egypt, the world's largest wheat importer and major Russian customer.
"There is no question this is an opportunity for us and we're going to take advantage of it," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Wednesday.
French analyst Strategie Grains on Thursday sharply raised its forecasts for European Union and U.S. soft wheat exports.
"Projected exports from several suppliers have increased to fill the gap left by Russia's export ban," it said.
EU soft wheat exports in 2010/11 were seen at 18.7 million tons, up almost 3 million tons from last month's estimate and now nearly in line with 18.8 million tons in 2009/10.
U.S. soft wheat exports were revised up almost 6 million tons to 33.6 million and now up 9.7 million on last season.
It put Russia's wheat exports at 2.1 million tons, down from 16.4 million seen last month.
While there was no global crisis was far away, the wheat situation in Pakistan was grim due to deadly floods.
Ibrahim Mughal, president of a national farmers' association, estimated up to 500,000 tons of wheat stocked with farmers has been washed away in Asia's third-largest wheat producer. A Food Ministry official said up to 600,000 tons of wheat stocks had been damaged or destroyed in the flood.
"The devastation to crops is immense. I think it's safe to say it will take some billions of dollars to recover, "U.N. humanitarian operations spokesman Maurizio Giuliano said.
(Additional reporting by Augustine Anthony and Michael Georgy in Pakistan, Charles Abbott and Roberta Rampton in Washington, Aleksandras Budrys in Moscow, Gus Trompiz in Paris. Writing by Anthony Barker, editing by Nigel Hunt)
Huge iceberg breaks off Greenland glacier
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'Ice island' largest to form in Arctic since 1962
This NASA satellite image shows an island of ice, 251 square kilometres in size, breaking away from the rest of the Petermann Glacier on Aug. 5. (NASA/MODIS)
For the second time in a month, a massive iceberg has broken off a glacier in Greenland, raising concerns among scientists about the world's warming oceans.
The 251-square-kilometre "ice island" broke off the Petermann Glacier, on Greenland's northwestern coast, on Aug. 5, officials with NASA said Monday.
Trudy Wohlleben, a senior forecaster with the Canadian Ice Service, detected the unusual activity while scanning imagery of the Arctic from one of NASA's satellites.
"The sheer size of it kind of took us by surprise," Wohlleben told CBC News.
The newly calved iceberg is about five times the size of Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut.
Largest in 48 years
Researchers with the University of Delaware say it is the largest to form in the Arctic since 1962.
"I knew when I saw the picture that it was big," said Andreas Muenchow, an associate professor of physical ocean science and engineering with the Newark-based university.
The latest discovery comes after NASA imagery showed another iceberg, about seven square kilometres in size, had broken off the Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier along Greenland's west coast on July 6 and 7.
Muenchow said that while the size of the new iceberg is impressive, he is even more concerned about how the ice is melting below the Petermann Glacier's surface.
"The breakoff is not that important. … Most of the ice is being lost to the ocean underneath because the ocean's much warmer," he said.
"But it's melting from below by the ocean. It's just not as dramatic and not as visible, but that really is the main story."
Muenchow says the Petermann Glacier, one of Greenland's largest remaining glaciers, is losing 80 per cent of its mass underwater.
Ice chunks from the newly formed glacier are expected to reach Canada's coast in the next two years, although they are likely to break up into smaller pieces by then.
Moscow deaths double amid smog to 700 people a day
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By Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press
MOSCOW - Deaths in Moscow have doubled to an average of 700 people a day as the Russian capital is engulfed by poisonous smog from wildfires and a sweltering heat wave, a top health official said Monday.
Moscow health chief Andrei Seltsovky blamed weeks of unprecedented heat and suffocating smog for the rise in mortality compared to the same time last year, Russian news agencies reported. He said city morgues were nearly overflowing, filled with 1,300 bodies, close to their capacity.
Acrid smog blanketed Moscow for a six straight day Monday, with concentrations of carbon monoxide and other poisonous substances two to three times higher than what is considered safe. Those airborne pollutants reached a record over the weekend — exceeding the safe limit by nearly seven times.
About 550 separate blazes were burning nationwide Monday, mainly across western Russia, including about 40 around Moscow, according to the Emergencies Ministry. Forest and peat bog fires have been triggered by the most intense heat wave in 130 years of record keeping.
Alexander Frolov, head of Russia's weather service, said judging by historic documents, this heat wave could be the worst in up to 1,000 years.
"Our ancestors haven't observed or registered a heat like that within 1,000 years," Frolov said at a news conference. "This phenomenon is absolutely unique."
He said the heat in Moscow reflects the global climate's increased volatility.
Daily highs have reached up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), compared to the usual summer average of 75 F (24 C). And, according to the forecast, there will be no respite this week.
Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, a climate change and health expert at the World Health Organization in Geneva, said deaths could certainly double with higher temperatures alone — a phenomenon seen during Europe's 2003 heat wave.
"The impacts tend to be more severe in places that are not used to these kinds of temperatures," he told The Associated Press. "These temperatures wouldn't be out of place in the southern U.S. or Australia, but in Russia, the infrastructure is not used to these temperatures and the risk of death will increase."
Few apartments in Moscow have air conditioning and the city's overcrowded subway is poorly ventilated.
Campbell-Lendrum said it would be difficult to pinpoint whether the majority of new Russian deaths were due to the heat or to the smog, but said there was no question the combined effect was dangerous.
He said elderly people and those with health conditions like heart or lung problems were most at risk, but with extreme conditions, there could also be a spike in deaths of otherwise healthy people. He said the increased deaths would likely continue for as long as the heat wave persists.
At least 52 people have died directly in the wildfires and over 2,000 homes have been destroyed. Flights to Moscow have been delayed and diverted.
Russian authorities have acknowledged that the 10,000 firefighters battling the blazes aren't enough, and sent thousands of soldiers to help fight the fires.
Wednesday's international soccer match between Russia and Bulgaria was moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg, 370 miles (600 kilometres) to the northwest, due to the smog.
The severe drought and wildfires have destroyed 20 per cent of Russia's wheat crop, prompting the government last week to introduce a ban grain exports for the rest of the year. The news drove the price of wheat, which has already jumped 70 per cent on world markets this summer, even higher.
On the Russian blogosphere, one of the country's last outposts of unfettered expression, the mood was bleak and angry that the situation had become so serious. One blogger on the popular LiveJournal site suggested that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Moscow's mayor and other top officials be fired for not stopping the fires. Another LiveJournal blogger said the polluting haze had prompted her to quit smoking.
Others focused on immediate issues — like getting a good night's sleep.
"Every night it's like we prepare for war," blogger Tsirtsis wrote on the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta's Web site. "With open windows, it's impossible to breathe because of the burning, and with closed windows we choke in the stifling heat."