Delaware is Sinking into the Ocean
Don’t be too alarmed, but parts of the U.S. East Coast, including Delaware, are actually sinking into the ocean. This development is chronicled in a new article from Earthobservatory.nasa.gov. The article states that “rising seas driven by melting ice and the thermal expansion of warming water is only part of what threatens coastal areas. The land is also sinking.” And, yes, Delaware is sinking, too.
The Sinking East Coast
According to a NASA-funded team of scientists at Virginia Tech’s Earth Observation and Innovation (EOI) Lab, this change is happening rather quickly. It’s happening rapidly enough to endanger infrastructure, farmland, and wetlands that literally millions of people along the East Coast use. The study, which was published in PNAS Nexus, discovered that “more than half of infrastructure in major cities such as New York, Baltimore, and Norfolk is built on land that sank, or subsided, by 1 to 2 millimeters per year between 2007 and 2020.” But Delaware is part of this, too. In addition to those areas, the study says that land in some counties in Georgia, Delaware, Maryland and South Carolina actually sank at double or triple that rate. Yikes.
“Subsidence is a pernicious, highly localized, and often overlooked problem in comparison to global sea level rise, but it’s a major factor that explains why water levels are rising in many parts of the eastern U.S.,” said Leonard Ohenhen, a geophysicist at Virginia Tech, in the article.
So, what are the real-life consequences of this happening? People living on the East Coast in these areas could experience more tidal flooding. They could also see more damaged homes and issues with saltwater impacting farmland and fresh water. But it’s not all doom and gloom. The article states that “subsidence is a problem that we can slow at local scales to some degree,” according to Manoochehr Shirzaei, a co-author on both studies and director of the EOI Lab. For more information and to view a map of the changes, to here.
Trending: Floral, Earthy, And Nature Baby Names
River
According to The Bump magazine, River is a gender-neutral name of English origin that means “a flowing body of water.” Typically, it’s used more for boys but the name seems to be gaining popularity for girls too. In fact, singer Kelly Clarkson named her daughter River Rose. People reported that Clarkson came about the name because River is her mother’s maiden name. “We were outside on our balcony, and we both looked at each other and were like, ‘What about River? That’s kind of cool,’” the singer told the outlet.
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Willow
The name Willow is inspired by the willow tree. The daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinket has the name Willow as does the daughter of Pink and Carey Hart. The name also appears in works from Shakespeare and Harry Potter. According to the Social Security Administration, it ranked as the 81st most popular name for baby girls in 2022, up from 125th in 2010.
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Oakley
Oakley is a gender-neutral name. According to The Bump,. it has English origins and was traditionally used as a last name. They also said that it translates to “meadow of the oak tree.” Mama Natural reported that the name was uncommon until the late 19th century and early 20th century. Someone commented on their report and said “We liked that it couldn’t be shortened and it was gender neutral. It’s also not a very common name.”
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Dahlia
The name Dahlia is a girl’s name of Scandinavian origin, meaning “Dahl’s flower,” according to NameBerry. The flower was named in honor of the pioneering Swedish botanist Andreas Dahl, which means dale. NameOfTheYear.com describes dahlia as a “perennial plant that grows from tuberous roots and produces stunning blooms in a variety of colors and shapes.” The name has also made appearances within pop culture. the name of a character in the 2019 film US. In the film, Dahlia is the doppelganger of Kitty Tyler.
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Briar
Briar is a gender-neutral name of British origins, meaning “thorny bush of wild roses” and “brambles.,” according to The Bump. Apparently, it’s one of the newly popular nature-word names, charting in the U.S. for the first time in 2015 for both genders. Interestingly, Briar-Rose is from the Brothers Grimm fairy tale “Little Briar-Rose” commonly known as Sleeping Beauty. So, it could be a great name for those wanting to capture nature and fairytale vibes.
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Lake
Lake is a gender-neutral name, relating to a body of water. The name Lake dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period and is derived from the Old English word lacu, according to Ancestry.com. It was mainly used as a surname and, over time, became a unique first name. Many people took notice of the name after seeing actress Lake Bell in movies such as “No Strings Attached,” “What Happens in Vegas,” and “Man Up.”
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