This week brought the news that temperatures in the Arctic are at record highs, sea ice levels are at record lows, and we still have a president-elect who doesn't believe in climate change. But all those harrowing details were a little bit abstract. Here's a more pressing indicator: There are now sea creatures in Miami parking garages.
This photo, courtesy of Richard Conlin on Facebook, shows an octopus on the floor of a facility that flooded following what's called a king tide in Miami Beach last week. The tide is a seasonal phenomenon that brings bigger swells, but it was exacerbated by the recent Supermoon. According to University of Miami associate biology professor Kathleen Sullivan Sealey, though, there's another cause for the octopus' appearance that should lead Miami residents to expect more of the same in the future: rising sea levels due to climate change.
"The sea is moving in, so we have to share the space," Sealey told The Miami Herald. She added the octopus was probably hiding in a drainage pipe when the tide came in, and was swept out onto the garage floor. When the pipes were installed, they were safely above the high water marks, but now they are submerged during extreme high tides because of rising sea levels. "When that much sea water comes in the octopus is like 'what's this?' and goes to explore and ends up in a bad place," she said. According to Conlin, the octopus wasn't the only one: He also reported seeing schools of fish. In his garage.
Miami is one of the cities most at risk damage due to rising sea levels. According to the Herald, a University of Miami study found last year that tidal flooding in Miami Beach has increased 400 percent since 2006. As sea levels continue to rise, Miami residents will just have to get used to some new neighbors, apparently.
In brighter news, though, the octopus survived its ordeal with American suburban life. Building security put it in a bucket of water and dumped it in the ocean.
