In this month’s issue, Scientific American is featuring a letter submitted by Levees.org founder Sandy Rosenthal.

The letter notes a misleading assumption in an article by writer Mark Fischetti in an interview with Klaus Jacob, the scientist who predicted the damage from Hurricane Sandy.

In his discussion about sea level rise and subsidence, Klaus states:

“…Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans overcame man-made barriers because the city kept [sinking] and the sea had risen after the levies (sic) and walls went up…”

But in fact, we know of no reliable evidence that sinking within the city limits was a major contributing factor in the New Orleans Flood. The flooding was primarily a result of the failure of federal levees and floodwalls that should have performed their function.

Scientific American is a leading science magazine for the general public and is considered by many to be one of the top five magazines of its genre.

Sandy Rosenthal’s letter can be viewed here.

A PDF of the original article can be viewed here.