A chilling thought (for our Snowy Plovers)

The City of Santa Monica, in conjunction with USC Sea Grant, currently has an interactive demonstration of the predicted effects of sea level rise on our local beach. This is the beach where our Western Snowy Plover flock roosts from July through April.

This demo is available online at  http://dornsife.usc.edu/uscseagrant/sm-vr-owl/ or, with more impact, on the Santa Monica Pier “OWL”. The owl is that stereo-optic device on the pier that usually gives a telescopic view of the area. In this demo, it gives a predicted effect of expected sea level rise on the same shorescape.

Whether you visit the pier or choose to look at the online version, I encourage you to look at all the information links on the page linked above. They explain how global scientific models have been localized to give us an impactful view of the effects of global warming. The OWL on the pier is available at least until the end of the year, in conjunction with City’s local coastal planning.