Alex McColgan

But that in and of itself doesn't completely explain NASA's worry for the upcoming alignment in mid-2030.

There is an extra element at play, beyond the regular rhythm of this rising flood risk we have been seeing through the course of human history.

Unfortunately, the next node's alignment with the Sun promises to be particularly devastating.

The danger is that this phenomenon is combined with an already strained system, even more strained than it was in 2015.

Climate change has resulted in steadily rising sea levels.

When the next node aligns with the Sun in the mid-2030s, this will likely lead to a dramatic increase of floods on planet Earth.

Worryingly, a new study led by NASA's sea-level change science team predicts that almost all US mainline coastlines, Hawaii and Guam, will have a huge leap in flood numbers when this happens.

Some predictions claim this node alignment could cause four times the amount of flooding from one decade to the next, which will damage infrastructure and change our coastlines around the world.

This means human life will inevitably be affected by these floods, impacting shelter, clean water supplies, electricity, as well as the increased risk of waterborne disease outbreaks like hepatitis A and cholera.

Plus, the receding flood water can create stagnant pools of water where mosquitoes gather, which can spread other diseases like malaria.

This has a knock-on effect on economic issues, as these natural events can make coastal life unaffordable, with increased cost of insurance on these homes, or an inability to find insurance at all, which could cause a reduction in asset value in the community.

Consequently, this lunar nodal cycle will damage the quality of life in coastal communities, where infrastructure may not be rebuilt or adapted to this force of nature.

It's not just bad for humans.

Ilya Roshlin, a visiting professor at Rutgers University, analysed that the peak of the lunar wobble, where high tides are higher, can drown salt marshes.

Salt marshes are a habitat for a range of species, such as invertebrates, and these floods can cause these creatures to drown, which means that other species like fish, seabirds, and others who rely on invertebrates to survive also suffer.

and they aren't the only ones that rely on salt marshes, as salt marshes hold a multitude of marine life, which includes 75% of all fishery species.

This means that the lunar wobble impacts the food chains of humans and animals, causing disturbances to their natural habitat and impacting their populations.

While this all does seem fairly doom and gloom, it's interesting to note that not all ecosystems on the planet are negatively affected by flooding and high tides.

Ecologist Neil St.

Alain of Macquarie University analysed that the lunar nodal cycle impacts heavily on the expansion and contraction of mangrove canopy cover over most of the Australian continent,