I've been spending some time trying to figure out how far the ocean has risen.
It's been difficult to find Japaneze topographical data in english. I finally downloaded the free trial of Keyhole, which was bought by Google, and is available at google.com. Keyhole gives beautiful arial photos, mostly from low earth orbit, and it includes elevation data. You can navigate by mouse clicks or by latitude and longitude, and there is a search funcion.
If you are using latitude and longitude click on the "search" tab, and then the "location" tab, then use the "Lat/Lon in DDMMSS" radio button.
The main problem is that Keyhole does not cover Japan very well. Also, the search funcion for Japan's cities is not well implemented (a search for "Yokohama, Japan" turns up a town about 400 miles north of where you want to be).
I will spare you the many red herrings I've encountered trying to find place names mentioned in YKK and get to the two places that seem the most useful.
The first, of course, is Yokohama. The map Alpha uses in the first episode is prominantly displayed in one of the frames and she points at what appears to be the new water line for Yokohama harbor.
This is in volume 1, #20. http://ykk.misago.org/Volume1/20.html
Looking at the Keyhole map, Alpha appears to be pointing at :
35°27'05.24"N, 134°37'55.46"E . Which, according to my reading of the Keyhole data is currently at an elevation of 15 feet.
The second place I've been able to find is Kamakura, Which is mentioned in volume 8.
http://ykk.misago.org/Volume8/4.html
Kamakura is famous for the shrine and this appears to be the half submurged gate to the main shrine. I was able to find a tourist map for Kamakura on the net :
http://www.jnto.go.jp/MP/srv-bin/jntomap?DX=1393335425&DY=351902856&LANG=E&SCALE=25&SIZE=3&SCROLL=33&MX=0&MY=1
- the geography of the main drag, which is a famous (at least according to the tourist info) avenue lined by cherry blossom trees, appears to match up with with some Keyhole data at :
35°19'38.71"N 139°33'25.51"E .
As far as I can tell, the gate is at an elevation of 110 feet. Which means the water level at this point in YKK is approximatly 120 feet higher then in our world.
Can global warming account for this?
My 1976 edition of Britanica says in the article on Antarctica that the world's total ice is about 7,700,000 cubic miles. If it all melted that would be about 5,400,000 cubic miles of water.
By my calculations, and saying that the oceans cover 70% of the earth, a sealevel rise of 100 feet would mean the oceans would increase by a volume of maybe 3,000,000 cubic miles.
So, at least by my crude (and possibly incorrect) calculations, it is possible to melt enough ice to account for this.
But, the sealevel is rising VERY fast! 10 to 20 feet per year?
If sealevel rises 120 feet my house in Concord, CA - 30 miles inland from San Francisco - is under 60 feet of water.
- Florida does not exist. - most ports around the world, including New York and Los Angles, are under water.
Needless to say, if you come up with better calculations please correct me.
- Rick King
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Well, it is concievable, however it's a pretty radical change in sea level.
However, it has been proposed that Japan is sinking, maybe this accounts for the radical change. Maybe it is rising that much, though. Say there's been 50 years since the "first tide". That makes it closer to 2 feet a year. Also consider that Alpha's cafe is threatened, which must mean that the sea is rising quite rapidly, taking into account that it's slightly above sea level.
- Maxim
Monday, April 18, 2005
One does wonder about the idea of Japan sinking rather than sealevel rising...
In ch122 pg13 in reference to Alpha relocating to his gas station, Ojisan says "...its high enough here. Ya can stay as long as ya like..." Indicating to ME at least that the water is rising rather than the land sinking... he seems to be inferring that there is a probable highest level for the ocean's intrusion. If Japan were sinking, it's possible that it'd continue forever and no-where would be safe. Anyway, conceptually it would take less time on the global scale for the icecaps to melt than it would for geologic forces to sink the totality of the main island of Japan...
- Darin~
Monday, April 18, 2005
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