According to new research, rising seas could affect three times more people by 2050 than previously thought. Although it is a threat to all coastal cities, some of these are expected to be swallowed by the sea.
The nonprofit research group Climate Central analyzed the sea level rise projected by experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Research by NOAA scientists shows that sea level rise is accelerating and projected to rise by a foot by 2050. About 4.4 million acres of land and 650,000 individual properties in the US are projected to go below sea level by the year 2050.
Don Bain, the senior adviser at Climate Central who led the study, said,” As the sea is rising, tide lines are moving up elevation, upslope and inland,”
“People really haven’t internalized that yet — that ‘Hey, I’m going to have something taken away from me by the sea.'”
As per the analysts, diminished property values can lead to lower tax revenues and reduced public services. Scientists foresee that the rise in sea level will also increase the frequency of coastal flooding, even in the absence of storms or heavy rainfall.
