{"id":337339,"date":"2024-07-23T16:46:38","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T14:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=337339"},"modified":"2024-07-23T16:46:41","modified_gmt":"2024-07-23T14:46:41","slug":"the-media-are-sheep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=337339","title":{"rendered":"The Media Are Sheep"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"455\" data-attachment-id=\"337354\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=337354\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/027286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1.jpg?fit=1280%2C805&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,805\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0,27286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/027286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1.jpg?fit=723%2C455&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/027286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1.jpg?resize=723%2C455&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-337354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/027286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1.jpg?resize=1024%2C644&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/027286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1.jpg?resize=300%2C189&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/027286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1.jpg?resize=768%2C483&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/027286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1.jpg?resize=1200%2C755&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/027286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2024\/07\/21\/the-media-are-sheep\/\">Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Guest Post by<\/em><\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/author\/weschenbach\/\">Willis Eschenbach<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattletimes.com\/seattle-news\/health\/for-at-least-a-decade-quinault-nation-has-tried-to-escape-the-rising-pacific-time-is-running-out\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Seattle Times<\/a>, in its usual alarmist fashion, has an article about how the dreaded \u201crising seas\u201d are forcing the Quinault Nation to move its main town, Taholah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seeing that, I decided to take an overview of the claims about Taholah. A Google search for \u201cTaholah rising seas\u201d finds over eighty media claims that \u201crising seas\u201d are threatening Taholah. Searching \u201cTaholah climate change\u201d finds a bunch more. A Bing search for \u201cTaholah\u201d and \u201crising seas\u201d yields no less than 1,830 articles. And they\u2019re all singing from the same hymnbook, going on about seawater incursions into the town and raving about how rising sea levels are the cause \u2026 but&nbsp;<strong>not one of them has taken the time to investigate the facts.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s an overview of where Taholah is located, on the Olympic Peninsula up near the Canadian border, about as far north as Seattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"722\" height=\"730\" data-attachment-id=\"337341\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=337341\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-561.png?fit=722%2C730&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"722,730\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-561.png?fit=722%2C730&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-561.png?resize=722%2C730&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-337341\" style=\"width:760px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-561.png?w=722&amp;ssl=1 722w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-561.png?resize=297%2C300&amp;ssl=1 297w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-561.png?resize=60%2C60&amp;ssl=1 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 722px) 100vw, 722px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Figure 1. Overview of the location of the main town of the Quinault Nation, Taholah<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let me start with the important question. Do the good folks of the Quinault Nation need to move their largest town?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, absolutely they do, but&nbsp;<strong>not because of climate change or rising sea levels<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The real reason they need to move? Because&nbsp;<strong>when<\/strong>, not if but when the next tsunami comes, it will wipe them off the map. Most of the town is less than sixteen feet (five meters) above sea level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And curiously, the geological forces that create the tsunamis also mean that the sea level at Taholah isn\u2019t even rising \u2026 I\u2019ll return to that in a bit. First, let\u2019s delve into the tsunamis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Geological evidence shows that the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ), which runs from Northern California to Vancouver Island, Canada, produces large tsunamis that threaten the coasts of Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Northern California&nbsp;every four hundred to five hundred years on average. And it\u2019s been a while since the last big one in 1700\u2026 we\u2019re coming due. That\u2019s why I said&nbsp;<strong>when<\/strong>&nbsp;the tsunami comes, and not&nbsp;<strong>if&nbsp;<\/strong>the tsunami comes. It is inevitable. A&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.noaa.gov\/jetstream\/tsunamis\/tsunami-locations\/jetstream-max-cascadia-subduction-zone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NOAA article&nbsp;<\/a>on the question says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt has been over 300 years since the 1700 event. In this time, stress has been building between the plates. Evidence suggests it may not be too long before the next great earthquake shakes the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We do not know when that will happen. It could be tomorrow, or it could be many years from now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It could be a magnitude 9.0 \u201cfull rip\u201d or a partial rupture (magnitude 8+). Either would have significant impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Seems to me like a more than adequate reason to move Taholah to higher ground right there, no need for further excuses \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what is the connection between tsunamis and sea levels? Well, the CSZ is where the Juan de Fuca, Explorer, and Gorda tectonic plates subduct beneath the North American plate. The plates colliding are what creates the earthquakes that generate these monster tsunamis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And in that ongoing slow collision between plates, the North American plate is continually being forced upwards fast enough that at some Pacific Northwest coastal locations, sea levels are actually falling. Here are the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov\/sltrends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">local NOAA tidal stations<\/a>. Blue arrows show where the sea levels are falling.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"514\" height=\"433\" data-attachment-id=\"337344\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=337344\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-563.png?fit=514%2C433&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"514,433\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-563.png?fit=514%2C433&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-563.png?resize=514%2C433&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-337344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-563.png?w=514&amp;ssl=1 514w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-563.png?resize=300%2C253&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 514px) 100vw, 514px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Figure 2. Nearest NOAA tidal stations to the Quinault Nation town of Taholah.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note that of the three stations nearest to Taholah on the coast, two of them show falling sea levels and one shows a rising sea level \u2026 here\u2019s the rising sea level at the first station south of Taholah.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"636\" height=\"352\" data-attachment-id=\"337345\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=337345\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-564.png?fit=636%2C352&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"636,352\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-564.png?fit=636%2C352&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-564.png?resize=636%2C352&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-337345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-564.png?w=636&amp;ssl=1 636w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-564.png?resize=300%2C166&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 636px) 100vw, 636px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Figure 3. NOAA sea level trend,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov\/sltrends\/sltrends_station.shtml?id=9440910\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Toke Point, Washington<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, there\u2019s something interesting about this record. The uncertainty (\u00b1 0.71 mm\/year) is larger than the trend (0.43 mm\/year). And when that happens, statistically we cannot even say whether the sea level is rising or falling\u2014it could be either one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next, here\u2019s the falling sea level from Astoria, Oregon, the next tide station south of Toke Point.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"617\" height=\"324\" data-attachment-id=\"337348\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=337348\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-566.png?fit=617%2C324&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"617,324\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-566.png?fit=617%2C324&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-566.png?resize=617%2C324&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-337348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-566.png?w=617&amp;ssl=1 617w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-566.png?resize=300%2C158&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 617px) 100vw, 617px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Figure 4. NOAA sea level trends,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov\/sltrends\/sltrends_station.shtml?id=9439040\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Astoria, Oregon<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This record, although it is much longer than the Toke Point record above, shows the same thing\u2014the uncertainty is greater than the trend. So once again, statistically we can\u2019t say if the sea level is rising or falling in Astoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We can say, however, that it is highly unlikely (~2.5% chance) that the sea level is rising more than the trend plus the uncertainty, which is 0.15 mm per year. That highly unlikely occurrence is about 15 mm (0.6 inches) per century \u2026 be still, my beating heart \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, here\u2019s the Neah Bay record from up at the north tip of the Olympic Peninsula.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"626\" height=\"346\" data-attachment-id=\"337349\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=337349\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-567.png?fit=626%2C346&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"626,346\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-567.png?fit=626%2C346&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-567.png?resize=626%2C346&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-337349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-567.png?w=626&amp;ssl=1 626w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-567.png?resize=300%2C166&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 626px) 100vw, 626px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Figure 5. NOAA sea level trends,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov\/sltrends\/sltrends_station.shtml?id=9443090\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Neah Bay, Washington<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here, the uncertainty is far smaller than the trend, so statistically, we can say that the sea level around Neah Bay is&nbsp;<strong>falling<\/strong>&nbsp;due to the land being forced upwards faster than the global rise in sea level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So given that the sea level isn\u2019t rising around Taholah, why is Taholah seeing water incursions into town?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s because they built the town on unconsolidated estuarine silt and soil in the Quinault River delta \u2026 and as such soils inevitably do over time, they are compacting and sinking, and taking the town down with them. This is indeed tragic, but it has exactly zero to do with sea level rise.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"518\" height=\"475\" data-attachment-id=\"337352\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=337352\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-569.png?fit=518%2C475&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"518,475\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"image\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-569.png?fit=518%2C475&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-569.png?resize=518%2C475&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-337352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-569.png?w=518&amp;ssl=1 518w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-569.png?resize=300%2C275&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 518px) 100vw, 518px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Figure 6. Closeup of Taholah and the Quinault River delta.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>To summarize:<\/strong>&nbsp;South of Taholah, there\u2019s no statistically significant sea level rise or fall, and north of Taholah, the sea level is falling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This, of course, all means that the dozens and dozens and dozens of articles claiming that Taholah is endangered by rising sea levels are \u2026 well \u2026 let me call them \u201cludicrously misinformed\u201d and leave it at that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the conclusion from this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>You absolutely cannot trust the modern media to do even the simplest verification of factual claims.<\/strong>&nbsp;And you can\u2019t believe them even if they agree with each other\u2014the media consensus is as meaningless as the so-called \u201cscientific consensus\u201d. Here we have over a hundred articles by various print, online, and tv media from all over the planet, all passionately and forcefully repeating the same easily checked falsehood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This would have been somewhat acceptable before the internet, but it took me a total of about fifteen minutes to look up the local sea level rise and to learn that Taholah cannot possibly be endangered by sea level rise because&nbsp;<strong>the sea level is not rising around Taholah<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In closing, let me say that I wish the good folks of the Quinault Nation all the best in their plans to move to higher ground. Moving a whole town is not an easy thing to do, but as the saying goes,&nbsp;<em>\u201cNeeds must when the devil drives\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;\u2026 and a giant tsunami certainly qualifies as a devil in my book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My very best to everyone, and to all you good media folks out there \u2026 do your dang homework, because in 2024 you can be sure that if you don\u2019t, someone else will \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">w.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>PS:<\/strong>&nbsp;It\u2019s also obvious from these sea level records that there is no acceleration in the rate of sea level rise \u2026 but that\u2019s a separate question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>My Usual:<\/strong>&nbsp;When you comment, I implore you to&nbsp;<strong>quote the exact words you are discussing<\/strong>. I\u2019m more than happy to defend my words, but I can\u2019t defend your interpretation of my words. Thanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Proving Me Wrong:<\/strong>&nbsp;If you wish to prove me wrong,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/threadreaderapp.com\/thread\/1765552712626975193.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>&nbsp;is how to do it. Hele on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Seattle Times, in its usual alarmist fashion, has an article about how the dreaded \u201crising seas\u201d are forcing the Quinault Nation to move its main town, Taholah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":337354,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818056,691829809,691823719,691820093,691829810,691829808],"class_list":{"0":"post-337339","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-change","9":"tag-quinault-nation","10":"tag-rising-seas","11":"tag-sea-level","12":"tag-taholah","13":"tag-the-seattle-times-2","15":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/027286953_web1_EnzlerQIN-ADW-211130-Taholah_1.jpg?fit=1280%2C805&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1pKX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":234080,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=234080","url_meta":{"origin":337339,"position":0},"title":"More Climate Misinformation and Factual Errors in the Seattle Times. Should You Care?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"14\/12\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Perhaps I should not read the Seattle Times anymore.\u00a0\u00a0","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-402.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-402.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-402.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-402.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-402.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":244504,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=244504","url_meta":{"origin":337339,"position":1},"title":"Sea Level Rise will Cause \u2018Mass exodus on a biblical scale\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"20\/02\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In UN fantasy land, rising sea levels will cause a mass exodus from London, New York and Shanghai, and \u201cever fiercer competition\u201d for resources.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-494.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-494.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-494.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-494.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-494.png?fit=1200%2C673&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":406756,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=406756","url_meta":{"origin":337339,"position":2},"title":"Sea Level Rise Hoax Exposed: The Disappearing Islands That Refuse To Disappear","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"05\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Germany\u2019s Klimanachrichten here publishes an article titled \u201cThe Disappearing Islands (That Don\u2019t Want to Disappear)\u201d summarizes findings suggesting that the widespread assumption about low-lying islands inevitably sinking due to rising sea levels is too simplistic and detached from reality.","rel":"","context":"In \"climate alarmism\"","block_context":{"text":"climate alarmism","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-alarmism"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQMB_CovPZcjqizqXGHHmqbSeJIpyf21Q5yqFBsQk-tnSLMUPI-L5ZZ6W_peHHAfeVS2sh4lmHSNsONlvKac5hpCbcjweA1uODNbmQst0yJK6SBN6HYkAP5o0mTe2WiAkQMte-MUx7qM0OddM7o18N0fd2_M7g.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQMB_CovPZcjqizqXGHHmqbSeJIpyf21Q5yqFBsQk-tnSLMUPI-L5ZZ6W_peHHAfeVS2sh4lmHSNsONlvKac5hpCbcjweA1uODNbmQst0yJK6SBN6HYkAP5o0mTe2WiAkQMte-MUx7qM0OddM7o18N0fd2_M7g.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AQMB_CovPZcjqizqXGHHmqbSeJIpyf21Q5yqFBsQk-tnSLMUPI-L5ZZ6W_peHHAfeVS2sh4lmHSNsONlvKac5hpCbcjweA1uODNbmQst0yJK6SBN6HYkAP5o0mTe2WiAkQMte-MUx7qM0OddM7o18N0fd2_M7g.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, 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alarmists 4 decades\u00a0long\u00a0hyped\u00a0claims of high rates of accelerating sea level rise\u00a0due to increasing man-made CO2 emissions have clearly failed.","rel":"","context":"In \"carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)\"","block_context":{"text":"carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=carbon-dioxide-co%e2%82%82"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/04a095f5c578b29ce939c054e5e26f8f8.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/04a095f5c578b29ce939c054e5e26f8f8.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/04a095f5c578b29ce939c054e5e26f8f8.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, 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It depends, says Elon Musk\u2019s AI chatbot.\u201d\u00a0The article highlights how Grok, the AI chatbot developed by xAI, is presenting the debate about the causes and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"AI models\"","block_context":{"text":"AI models","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=ai-models"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0Screenshot-2025-05-31-181253.png?fit=1200%2C755&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0Screenshot-2025-05-31-181253.png?fit=1200%2C755&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0Screenshot-2025-05-31-181253.png?fit=1200%2C755&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0Screenshot-2025-05-31-181253.png?fit=1200%2C755&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/0Screenshot-2025-05-31-181253.png?fit=1200%2C755&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":382539,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=382539","url_meta":{"origin":337339,"position":5},"title":"Seattle Times Climate Lab Misinforms about Climate Change, Sea-Level Rise, and Seattle Flooding","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/06\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Demonstrably false information, serious science errors, and continuing misinformation.\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In \"carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)\"","block_context":{"text":"carbon dioxide (CO\u2082)","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=carbon-dioxide-co%e2%82%82"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0Screenshot-2025-06-10-152827.png?fit=1200%2C389&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0Screenshot-2025-06-10-152827.png?fit=1200%2C389&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0Screenshot-2025-06-10-152827.png?fit=1200%2C389&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0Screenshot-2025-06-10-152827.png?fit=1200%2C389&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/0Screenshot-2025-06-10-152827.png?fit=1200%2C389&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=337339"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":337356,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337339\/revisions\/337356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/337354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=337339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=337339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=337339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}