Rising Sea Level and More Severe Storms Threaten Eastern Seaboard
EPA Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Mid-Atlantic Coast Released Friday, Jan. 16
For further information, contact Kim Curtis at (415) 963-1935.
[San Francisco] A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency report released Friday finds that mid-Atlantic coastal states will experience a dramatic increase in storm surge flooding and coastal erosion because of climate change.
According to the 784-page report, few, if any, states are adequately prepared for this inevitable climate change-related impact and some shorelines already have been lost.
The report, “Coastal Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region,” finds that rising sea level will likely contribute to more frequent flooding of roads, railroads and airports, and could have major consequences for transportation and commerce. In addition, seawalls and drainage systems were designed without taking sea level rise into account, which could lead to disastrous results.
Highlights from the report include the following verbatim excerpts:
“Many coastal areas in the United States will experience an increased frequency and magnitude of storm-surge flooding and coastal erosion due to storms over the next century, in response to sea-level rise.” (p. 537)
“In the mid-Atlantic, between approximately 900,000 and 3,400,000 people (between 3 and 10 percent of the total population in the mid-Atlantic coastal region) live on parcels of land or city blocks with at least some land less than one meter above the monthly highest tides.” (p. 331)
“Rising sea level, combined with the possibility of an increase in the number of hurricanes and other severe weather related incidents, could cause increased inundation and more frequent flooding of roads, railroads, and airports, and could have major consequences for port facilities and coastal shipping.” (p. 357)
“Seawalls, bulkheads, dikes, sewers and drainage systems are designed based on the waves, water levels and rainfall experienced in the past. If conditions exceed what the designers expect disaster can result _ especially when sea level rises above the level of the land surface.” (p. 314)
“Rising sea level can elevate the water table (ground water) to the point where septic systems no longer function properly.” (p. 520)
“Some low-lying railroads, tunnels, ports, runways, and roads are already vulnerable to flooding and a rising sea level will only exacerbate the situation by causing more frequent and more serious disruption of transportation services.” (p. 354)
“Sea-level rise may also exacerbate pollution through inundation of upland sources of contamination such as landfills, industrial storage areas, or agricultural waste retention ponds.” (p. 240)
“’Ghost forests’ of standing dead trees killed by saltwater intrusion are becoming increasingly common in southern New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, Louisiana and North Carolina.” (p. 60)
“Rising sea level is causing saltwater intrusion into estuaries and threatening freshwater resources in some parts of the mid-Atlantic region.” (p. 60)
“With a substantial acceleration of sea-level rise, traditional coastal engineering may not be economically or environmentally sustainable in some areas.” (p. 28)
“Short-term thinking often prevails. The costs of planning for hazards like sea-level rise are apparent today, while the benefits may not occur during the tenure of current elected officials.” (p. 495)
The EPA released the final document at 10 AM EST on Friday, Jan. 16. It is available at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/coastal/sap4-1.html)
The report, “Coastal Sensitivity to Sea Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region,” prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and released under the seal of the White House, is one in a series of analyses of global warming by federal agencies conducted under the auspices of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, which coordinates the climate change research activities of U.S. government agencies.
The report assesses impacts of sea level rise on the infrastructure and ecosystems in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia and North Carolina.
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