America’s coastline will see sea levels rise in the next 30 years by as much as they did in the entire 20th century. Major Eastern cities will be hit regularly with costly floods even on sunny days, a government report warns.
By 2050, U.S. shores will see sea levels 10 to 12 inches higher, with parts of Louisiana and Texas projected to see waters a foot and a half (0.45 meters) higher. The levels are according to a 111-page report issued Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and six other federal agencies.
The projected increase is especially alarming given that in the 20th century, seas along the Atlantic coast rose at the fastest clip in 2,000 years reported AP.
The cost will be extreme, much of the American economy and 40% of the population are along the coast.
The worst of the long-term sea level rise from the melting of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland probably won’t be seen until after 2100, said ocean service oceanographer William Sweet, the report’s lead author.
Warmer water expands, and the melting ice sheets and glaciers adds more water to the world’s oceans.
Sea level rises more in some places than others because of sinking land, currents and water from ice melt. The U.S. will get slightly more sea level rise than the global average. And the greatest rise in the U.S. will be on the Gulf and East Coasts, while the West Coast and Hawaii will be hit less than average, Sweet said.
-AP