An interesting
interactive map by Climate Central provides us with a glimpse of the
impact of global climate change on coastal states in America. I happen to
live in a coastal area and have already seen the impact of storm surges on our
coastline; faster rates of coastal erosion and unprecedented damage to
infrastructure are becoming more and more common.
Global sea level has risen about 8
inches since 1880. This may not seem like much, but according to Climate
Central, nearly 5 million people in 2.4 million homes live a mere 4 feet above
high tide, a level that is lower than the one in one hundred year flood line
for most areas.
The tool provided by Climate Central
allows visitors to search out areas that will be prone to flooding and provides
a timeline of the risks involved in flooding. Here are a couple of
examples:
Note that the areas in grey will be
flooded if the level of the sea rises by four feet (i.e. a combination of sea
level rise, storm surge plus tide), a scenario that has a one in six chance of
occurring by 2020. This will impact 181,000 people living in over 78,000
homes.
Even a one foot rise in the
aforementioned water level will have this impact on Manhattan:
Let's look at one other area as
shown on this map which shows the impact of a four foot rise in water level on
Miami/ Fort Lauderdale and surrounding area:
This scenario has a one in six
chance of occurring by 2050 and will impact 59,000 people living in 35,000
homes.
The delicate balance between sea
level and climate change is just that; delicate. Unfortunately, the high
concentration of Americans living slightly above sea level will find out the
hard way just how painful the situation will be as the interaction between
stormier weather and rising sea levels becomes more and more apparent.
Posts
I live in New Orleans. The Climate Central map you reference states there is 1/6 chance of 1ft sea level, storm, and tide flooding by 2020 in Grand Isle. By that metric alone the data is bogus - I guarantee there is 100% change that will happen within the next year.
ReplyDeleteYes sea level rise is a concern but a millimeter or so every year has no correlation to any increase in climate activity that you could perceive over the course of your life.
Thank you for your informative post. To anyone not seeing the rising sea level as a problem they should talk to the residents in Venice, Italy. I have written several post about the environment, one concerns the recent Presidential climate Initiative and another about the bizarre weather we are experiencing. This weather is often under-reported. Thanks again.
ReplyDeletehttp://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2013/06/presidential-climate-change-initiative.html
http://brucewilds.blogspot.com/2012/11/under-reported-weather-events.html