Sea level studies: US coasts even more vulnerable than previously thought

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http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2012/0314/Sea-level-studies-US-coasts-even-more-vulnerable-than-previously-thought


Flooding in New York City last summer from Hurricane Irene. Scientists are predicting a possible 1-meter rise in sea level, which may impact coastal cities.
Peter Morgan/AP/File

Cities and hamlets along America's popular coastlines are more vulnerable to rising sea levels than previously estimated, according to a pair of new studies.


The studies find up to 32 percent more coastal real estate vulnerable to a 1 meter rise in sea level, while the population exposed to rising water goes up by 87 percent.

The numbers vary markedly by region, with south Florida, southern Louisiana, and the Carolinas topping the list of states with the most land to lose. Populations would be most heavily affected in Florida, Louisiana, California, New York, and New Jersey, the studies find.



Since the 1880s, sea levels have risen an average of 8 inches as global warming has taken hold. During this century, levels are expected to rise by as much as 1 to 2 meters, depending on how much additional carbon dioxide humans pump into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels and from land-use changes. The figure could be higher still, some researchers argue, if ice sheets atop Greenland and West Antarctica lose ice faster than currently anticipated.