West Point lies on the west bank of the Hudson River in New York state, about 80 km from where the river enters the Atlantic Ocean. The elevation of West Point is 3 m. If sea level rises at a rate of 4 mm per year, how long will West Point remain above sea level?
How can I solve this?
the fact that West Point is 80 km from the ocean has no bearing, assuming there are no rapids or waterfalls on the Hudson in that stretch, lol.
I simply comes down to dividing 3 m by 4 mm.
so you have to have the same units.
3 m = 300 cm
= 3000 mm
so 3000/4 = 750 years
looks safe for a while anyway.
To solve this problem, you need to determine the rate at which the sea level is rising and then calculate the time it takes for West Point's elevation to be equal to or lower than the rising sea level. Here's a step-by-step guide:
1. Determine the current elevation of West Point: The elevation of West Point is given as 3 m.
2. Convert the change in sea level rise to meters: The sea level rises at a rate of 4 mm per year. Since there are 1000 mm in one meter, you can convert this to meters by dividing 4 mm by 1000, which gives you 0.004 m.
3. Calculate the difference between West Point's current elevation and the sea level rise: Subtract the current elevation of West Point (3 m) from the rate of sea level rise (0.004 m) to find the difference, which is 3 m - 0.004 m = 2.996 m.
4. Determine the time it takes for West Point to reach or surpass the sea level rise: Divide the difference between West Point's elevation and the sea level rise (2.996 m) by the rate of sea level rise (0.004 m/year) to find the time it takes for West Point to reach or surpass this level.
Time = Difference / Rate = 2.996 m / 0.004 m/year
5. Calculate the time in years: Divide the difference by the rate to find the time. In this case, it will be 749 years (2.996 m / 0.004 m/year = 749 years).
Therefore, West Point will remain above sea level for approximately 749 years, assuming the sea level continues to rise at a constant rate.