A study from NASA and the University of Hawaii was published this month in the journal Nature Climate Change. It details how a wobbling moon may lead to record flooding by the mid-2030s.
“The higher seas, amplified by the lunar cycle, will cause a leap in flood numbers on almost all U.S. mainland coastlines, Hawaii, and Guam,” NASA reports.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reported more than 600 floods in 2019. The new research expects three to four times the 2019 flooding levels by the 2030s.
What is a wobbling moon?
A moon wobble is a shift in the moon’s orbit that was first discovered in 1728. And happens in a cycle of every 18.6-years.
This fluctuation in the Moon’s gravitational pull can either subdue or amplify tides on Earth.
The wobbling moon affects gravity felt on Earth which is the main cause of the Earth’s tides. There can be devastating consequences when the wobbling moon is combined with rising sea levels caused by the planet’s warming in a cycle that already amplifies tides.
