South Carolina: A Closer Look at Sea Level Rise on Cape Romain

Location: Charleston County, South Carolina Size: 66,267 acres Main Objectives: Provide habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, and resident species. There are over 277 species of birds found on the refuge. Open to the public: Yes Website: http://www.fws.gov/caperomain/ Climate Change Threat: sea level rise and loss of freshwater impoundments Contacts: Stacy Shelton, USFWS, (404) 679-7290 Photos: Photoset on Flickr Video: There's Nothing Level About Sea Level

South Carolina: A Closer Look at Sea Level Rise on Cape Romain

by Stacy Shelton

A wooden post in the middle of open water at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge near Charleston, South Carolina is literally a sign of climate change.

The sign warns visitors to keep their dogs off the refuge. It made sense until 2009, when the sea swallowed the island it sat atop. The narrow island, called Sandy Point, used to be a perfect nesting area for American oystercatchers, Wilson’s Plovers and terns. Just ten years ago, Sandy Point stretched for a mile.

The disappearing island of Sandy Point at Cape Romain. Credit: USFWS. Click for full size.

The nearby Cape Island is also important habitat for wildlife. It’s one of the most important nesting areas on the Atlantic Coast for loggerhead sea turtles, a threatened species that may soon be uplisted to endangered.

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From 1999 to 2006, the Cape Island beach receded 180 feet. Loggerheads returning to their birthplace to lay their own eggs began digging nests in areas exposed to high tides and groundwater intrusion. Many of their nests were inundated. 

In recent years, with help from sea turtle experts at the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the South Carolina Aquarium, along with dozens of volunteers, the refuge’s Turtle Recovery Team has been relocating an ever increasing number of nests. The nests are dug up and moved to safe areas. Hatchling success has dramatically improved, from 25 percent to 78 percent.

The sea has risen more than 1 foot in 100 years near the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, near Charleston, SC, according to NOAA. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report projects sea level will continue rising at even more rapid rate. Click for full size.

Raye Nilius, project manager for the South Carolina Low Country National Wildlife Refuge Complex, questions whether in 50 years Cape Romain will be able to provide the habitat that species depend upon today. The refuge’s future existence may depend on conserving land on the mainland now, before spreading urban development takes away that option.

“The ocean encroaches on one side, human population increases on the other and the islands are caught in the middle,” she said.