Uncommon Knowledge
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A new interactive map shows how parts of Washington state could be submerged underwater as sea levels rise due to climate change.
Washington’s extensive coastal regions, which stretch around 157 miles along the Pacific Ocean, would be particularly at risk, according to the map.
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that by the year 2100, global sea levels could rise by up to 3.6 feet if global greenhouse gas emissions are not mitigated. However, it says that a rise of around 6.6 feet “cannot be ruled out.”
The map by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) allows users to see how different parts of the United States would be affected if sea levels rose by different amounts.
If sea levels were to rise by 3 feet, parts of Skagit County around the town of La Conner would be completely submerged in water.
The affected areas include those along the coast of the Swinomish Channel, which connects to Skagit Bay, Port Susan, and Livingston Bay. In the north, areas bordering Padilla Bay and Samish Bay would also be badly affected by the rising sea levels.
If sea levels were to rise by 6 feet, in line with the IPCC’s more severe projections, water would encroach further inland in these areas, and other coastal regions would also be affected.
Seattle would mostly be spared, except for the Terminal 18 container facility and some small areas along the coast, which would be submerged if sea levels rose by six feet.
Sea level rise is primarily caused by the melting of ice caps into the ocean due to warming temperatures. The level at which sea levels will rise will be impacted by whether global action is taken to slow climate change.
“Sea level rise will create a profound shift in coastal flooding over the next 30 years by causing tide and storm surge heights to increase and reach further inland. By 2050, ‘moderate’ (typically damaging) flooding is expected to occur, on average, more than 10 times as often as it does today, and can be intensified by local factors,” NOAA said in its 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report.
Assessing the state of Washington’s risks from sea level rise is made complicated by the fact that the land movement along its coast is highly variable, with some areas experiencing uplift while others are subsiding.
These variations are caused by movements of the Earth’s tectonic plates.
The state has been taking action to prepare for the potential impacts of rising sea levels, including through the three-year-long Washington Coastal Resilience Project. The project worked to identify at-risk areas and provide guidance to coastal communities, including several rural and tribal communities along the state’s coast.
The project also outlined the primary strategies for dealing with coastal hazards, including building hard defensive structures, using soft shore stabilization methods, using accommodation techniques to reduce flooding impacts, and avoiding development in risky areas.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
The Cougars suffered just their second loss of the year last weekend against New Mexico and, by many accounts, it was a shocker. Ranked well within the Top 25 and playing a team with a losing record, albeit on the road, WSU was expected to win. Now at 8-2 Jake Dickert’s squad is tasked with bouncing back and they might have the perfect opportunity to do just that against an Oregon State unit that has been in a tailspin as of late.
Here’s what Washington State needs to do on Saturday to avoid a second straight defeat and get back on the right track.
Move Past Last Week
First and foremost, the Cougs need to forget the loss last weekend. The New Mexico debacle is over and done with, and it ought to be treated as such. Dwelling on the misfortunes that plagued them a week ago will only spell bad news against an Oregon State squad that is desperately looking to salvage whatever it can from a season. If WSU comes into this one and lets that loss give them a disadvantage in any aspect, that might be all OSU needs to get a leg up. Essentially, they can’t let the Lobos beat them twice.
In order to mentally rebound from the toll of their second loss the best thing for WSU might be to get back to the basics in all phases of the game. The offense needs to rediscover and reaffirm what has made it so competitive all year. The defense has to wash their collective minds of the poor showing in Albuquerque. If Dickert can get the team back to what they were before last week… and there’s no reason to believer he can’t… they’ll be just fine.
Tackle, Tackle, Tackle
It’s no secret that one of the main issues last weekend for the Cougars was an inability to bring ball carriers down. Some of that can be blamed on the dynamic play of Deveon Dampier but a lot of it can be attributed to not wrapping up and failing to be sound in their tackles across the board. A repeat of that showing against Beavers playmakers such as Anthony Hankerson or Trent Walker could again yield some ugly results.
Fortunately for Washington State, they have the right guys to fix those errors. Senior linebacker Kyle Thornton is one of the best out there when it comes to making stops. He has 53 tackles this season (36 solo) and has been the enforcer for the team in the middle of the field for several seasons. Redshirt Sophomore “Buddah” Al-Qudah is also excellent in this department with a team-leading 58 stops. If these two can do what they are best at and get everyone else to follow suit, the Cougs will find a lot more success this Saturday.
Keep the Chains Moving
A surefire way to keep OSU on its toes is to keep its defense tired and to do that, Washington State needs some long, sustained drives. Moving the sticks, especially on third down, will help that happen. The Beavers allow their opponents to convert 45% of the third downs they attempt and, while that rate is somewhat high, the Cougars should aim for much more than that. Getting the Oregon State defense fatigued will go a long way.
John Mateer and company need to make sure, when they do get into third down scenarios, that they are manageable. Positive pushes on early downs is a must. Whether it be Mateer running himself, completing short and high-percentage throws to his pass catchers or strong rushes from running back Wayshawn Parker, the offense needs to stay on schedule. Little things like this will make all the difference against a foe that is struggling.
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The 2024 NWSL Final is as big as it gets.
Battling for the playoff title are the top two teams during the regular season, both of which survived the early stages of knockout-round postseason play.
The Orlando Pride, winners of the NWSL Shield for the best regular-season record, are the No. 1 seed that will take on the No. 2 Washington Spirit.
Orlando is led by the Brazilian icon Marta, while Washington is pioneered by rising U.S. women’s national team forward Trinity Rodman.
Here’s how and where to watch the 2024 final:
The 2024 final between Orlando and Washington is slated for Saturday, Nov. 23.
Kickoff time is slated for 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT.
CPKC Stadium, home of NWSL side Kansas City Current in Missouri, is the neutral venue for the game.
The Orlando-Washington NWSL final will be broadcast by CBS.
The Orlando-Washington NWSL final will be available to stream on Paramount+.
The Orlando Pride has not yet won an NWSL championship through the playoffs.
The Washington Spirit have won one NWSL title, which transpired in 2021. It finished as runner-ups in 2016.
The Washington Nationals have numerous issues that have led to four last-place finishes in the five seasons since their first World Series title.
But one that may be at the top of the list is third base.
Washington finished No. 29 in the league, only ahead of the historically awful Chicago White Sox, with a .589 OPS from its third base platoon. In the last five years, the Nationals have finished no better than No. 19, twice finishing No. 29, once finishing No. 28, and once No. 23.
In short, the Nationals have not had anything remotely close to quality production from the hot corner since 2019 when Anthony Rendon guided Washington to No. 2 in the league at third with an OPS of 1.010 over 646 plate appearances.
Washington could go out and spend a ton of money to acquire one of the best in the game, long being linked as a potential fit for Alex Bregman.
But what feels more likely is the organization waiting until top prospect Brady House is ready to be called up and hope he seizes the job, as pointed out by Mark Zuckerman of MASN.
If so, it would be four years in the making. The Nationals made House their first-round pick in 2021 and he’s worked his way steadily through the minor-league system. House was at Triple-A this season and watched highly-touted prospects like James Wood and Dylan Crews called up.
“Most evaluators still believe he’ll hit for power and play solid defense, but the Nationals aren’t going to hand him the job before he proves he’s ready for it,” Zuckerman wrote. “And there’s no guarantee when that will happen.”
House slashed .241/.297/.699 with 19 home runs and 66 RBI with Rochester last season. It’s possible the Nats want to see him produce more power before he’s called up. He’ll surely receive an invitation to Major League spring training, which would give him a chance to prove he’s ready. But the Nats can’t bank on it.
That doesn’t mean throwing a massive contract at Bregman, only for him to have to eventually move him to another position to make room for House. But other solutions must be ready to be deployed.
Zuckerman hypothesized that the Nats could, in the short-term could stick with Jose Tena after a decent finish to the season following his trade from Cleveland, though he continues to learn a third base position that is new to him.
More exciting prospects include Yohandy Morales and Seaver King, but both feel still a ways away from being ready and are not as highly rated as House.
Keep an eye on the Nats in the third-base market to make some kind of addition whether it be a big splash or a minor insurance policy.
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