This isn't new news, but each time I read an updated article on the topic I find myself shaking my head.
Sea levels on the United States' mid-Atlantic coast are rising faster than the global average because of global warming, threatening the future of coastal communities, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday.
Using conservative estimates, the EPA says the eight-state region from New York to North Carolina is an area that "will likely see the greatest impacts due to rising waters, coastal storms, and a high concentration of population along the coastline," according to an agency summary.
Coastal waters from New York to North Carolina have crept up by an average of 2.4 to 4.4 millimeters (0.09 to 0.17 inches) a year, compared with an average global increase of 1.7 millimeters (0.07 inches) a year, the EPA said in a report.
Of course the changes always seem extremely minuscule and many people don't bother fretting or trying to develop solutions, but the changes are visible. I live in Delaware and the shores in this area shrink every year. I am sure in my lifetime there will be beaches closed for the reason that there is no room for people to pitch an umbrella for the afternoon.
Another thing to realize is the rising water does not just mean less shore, it also means coastal storms will become more severe as they reach further inland.
Most coastal wetlands in the mid-Atlantic would be lost if sea level rises one meter in the next century. Even a 50-cm rise would threaten most wetlands along the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay.
At a scary rate of 24 square miles per year, America's Wetlands along Louisiana's Border with the Gulf of Mexico, are vanishing. There is a dire need for coastal restoration in this area.
As the wetlands disappear, habitat is lost putting at risk numerous threatened and endangered species. During the winter this is the home for more than five million waterfowl and migratory birds. National Geographic Magazine wrote in October of 2004, "As a wildlife habitat, it [South Louisiana] makes Florida's Everglades look like a petting zoo by comparison."
This isn't just about the ecological concerns. This is also about economical issues. This is a working wetland, hosting production and distribution of 80% of America's offshore oil and gas supply. As the protective wetlands and barrier islands disappear, oil and gas infrastructure along the coast becomes exposed to open Gulf conditions. And more than 30% of the nation’s fisheries catch in the continental U.S. comes from offshore Louisiana.
As impossible as it may sound there are precautions that can be taken to slow further erosion AND to restore what has been lost. The main strategies of the plan are watershed management, such as river diversions and improved drainage, and watershed structural repair, such as the restoration of barrier islands.
