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I think that scientists need to look at centuries not just decades to really appreciate what is happening with sea levels. Also, many of the cities in the article have been built up over the past 100 years without thought to the impact of infrastructure and barriers on the flow of water. For instance, Harvey, which severely impacted Houston and the coastal areas, caused massive flooding. Many of the homes that flooded had never flooded before… However, Buffalo Bayou many decades before, was redirected so that homes, roads, and businesses could be built. To allay the water issue reservoirs were created over 50 years ago… and building continued beyond what was originally planned. Then you have a massive unprecedented storm that created an untenable situation for the reservoirs and dams. Homes were flooded and the Buffalo Bayou went back to its natural path.
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It’s also important to consider the falling land in addition to the rising sea. Sea level rise did accelerate but was less than half of the total in these locations (the global average is about 2.5 inches over 14 years):
It seems like the land fall has also accelerated, since pre-2010 sea level rise was 1-2mm per year ie 2-4 inches out of the 6 inches over 5 decades cited as the previous rate at which tide heights were increasing. That might be something that’s more feasible to address, I’d assume a lot of it is due to groundwater pumping for the increased coastal population.
The article doesn’t mention that the south is more vulnerable than the north because the land further north (up near Canada) is still rebounding from the weight of ice sheets in the last ice age.
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Just looked at an oceanfront lot on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Asking price for the more than half-acre lot is $29,900 because the zoning has now designated this lot as “unbuildable” due to the rising sea level. Great lot for camping if you enjoy sleeping on a waterbed.
Just watched a video about this lot; looks like the entire lot is covered by water at high tide. Video shows one house built on a similar lot–but, unlike in California, will not fall off a cliff–will probably just float away.
Curious as to the annual property taxes.
Indeed. But on one site I participate in, the Climate Change Warriors refuse to discuss shifting land mass as they are afraid it dilutes their message. For example, land in the SF Bay is dropping due to the tectonic plates and subduction which has been occurring for eons, but you rarely hear about that in the local press which are all about rising tides.
I just hope that the US Government stops insuring coastal properties from flooding.
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The US and State governments are the problem. People bought and built houses, businesses etc. based on the municipalities blessing of said projects. Most people are not engineers, do not have access to the data, so in good faith built. NOW when the greedy developers mistake is evident someone has to pay. Unfortunately so much oversight and good sense was dismissed because of profits. The governmental bodies made money on all the taxes (more taxes in a housing development than swamp land) and did not see the ramifications of what they were doing. Perhaps that got an actuarial scientist to give them a high/low of monetary impact and decided it was a risk worth taking. IDK.
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