JP Ueberroth
Sea level rise is one of the most alarming and inevitable consequences of climate change, driven primarily by the thermal expansion of seawater, as well as the melting of glaciers and ice sheets [1]. Since 1900, global sea levels have risen by approximately 200 mm, and the rate of rise has continued to accelerate in recent decades.[2] This phenomenon has severe implications for coastal communities, ecosystems, and economies. As the issue continues to escalate, society must explore both mitigation and adaptation strategies to combat the potentially devastating effects of sea level rise.
With nearly 40% of the world’s population living within 100 kilometers of a coastline, sea level rise has the potential to put millions of people at risk of displacement due to flooding and coastal erosion.[3] In the United States alone, cities like Miami, New Orleans, and New York are experiencing more frequent flooding due to high tide frequencies being “more than twice that in the year 2000 due to rising relative sea levels,” leading to predictions that some low-lying areas could become uninhabitable within the next century.[4] Additionally, saltwater intrusion into freshwater sources threatens drinking water supplies and agricultural productivity in coastal regions, exacerbating food and water insecurity.
The environmental impact of sea level rise is equally concerning. Coastal habitats, such as wetlands, mangroves, and estuaries, are disappearing as they are submerged by rising waters. These ecosystems serve as critical buffers against storms, support biodiversity, and provide breeding grounds for numerous marine species.[5] The loss of these natural barriers leaves inland areas more vulnerable to extreme weather events, increasing the frequency and severity of both hurricanes and storm surges. Furthermore, these coastal habitats, known as blue carbon zones, serve to sequester 50% of the carbon found in ocean sediments despite covering a mere 2% of the ocean’s surface area.[6] With decreased functionality of these essential carbon sinks, a positive feedback loop will be generated between their gradual disappearance and rising sea levels.
Economic consequences of sea level rise are troublesome as well. Coastal infrastructure—including roads, bridges, and buildings—faces an increased risk of damage, inevitably leading to billions of dollars in repair and resilience costs. Furthermore, property values in flood-prone areas are already declining, with some homeowners struggling to obtain insurance or sell their homes.[7] Moreover, industries such as tourism and fisheries, which rely heavily on stable coastal environments, are also suffering losses as beaches erode and fish populations shift due to changing oceanic conditions [8].
While the dangers of sea level rise are undeniable, solutions exist that can help mitigate its impact. One approach is strengthening coastal defenses through the construction of seawalls, levees, and flood barriers to protect vulnerable communities. Natural solutions, such as restoring wetlands and mangroves, can also provide effective, sustainable protection by absorbing storm surges and reducing erosion. Additionally, policies that limit carbon emissions, such as carbon taxes or investments in renewable energy, can slow the pace of global warming, and, consequently, sea level rise.
Despite the challenges brought upon by sea level rise, further adaptation measures can be put in place to help society manage this growing crisis. Coastal cities are beginning to integrate climate resilience planning into their development strategies, with some considering managed retreat—relocating communities away from high-risk areas—as a long-term, yet not ideal, solution.[9] Governments, scientists, and engineers must continue researching and implementing strategies that balance environmental sustainability with economic and social needs.
Ultimately, the question is not whether sea levels will continue to rise, but how effectively we can adapt and mitigate the consequences. The choices our generation makes will determine whether coastal communities can survive and thrive in the face of this looming threat. By prioritizing proactive measures and sustainable solutions today, we have the opportunity to protect our homes, economies, and ecosystems in the future.
[1] Craig, Caroline & Palmer, Brian. “Sea Level Rise 101” NRDC, https://www.nrdc.org/stories/sea-level-rise-101
[2] “Climate Change: Global Sea Level.” NASA, climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level.
[3] “Percentage of Total Population Living in Coastal Areas” United Nations, 2007, https://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/methodology_sheets/oceans_seas_coasts/pop_coastal_areas.pdf.
[4] Sweet, William V., et al. “2019 State of U.S. High Tide Flooding with a 2020 Outlook.” NOAA, 2020, https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/publications/Techrpt_092_2019_State_of_US_High_Tide_Flooding_with_a_2020_Outlook_30June2020.pdf.
[5] “Why are Wetlands Important?” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/why-are-wetlands-important.
[6] “What You Need to Know About Blue Carbon” World Bank Group, 2023, https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/11/21/what-you-need-to-know-about-blue-carbon.
[7] Sherriff, Lucy. “Climate Change is Fuelling the US Insurance Problem” BBC, 2024, https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240318-climate-change-is-fuelling-the-us-insurance-problem.
[8] Stoltz, Amanda D., Et al. “Fishing Industry Perspectives on Sea-Level Rise Risk and Adaptation” MDPI, 2021, https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/8/1124
[9] Anderson, Erik. “Rising Sea Levels Force US to Relocate Native American Tribe” PBS News, 2016, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/rising-sea-levels-force-u-s-to-resettle-native-american-tribe.
Hi JP! Thank you for this post, it was fascinating to learn about how the effects of sea level rise will only worsen after coastal habitats inevitably sink. One thing it made me think about is how all the time in environmental policy, our responses to the consequences of anthropogenic climate change are reacting to it instead of solving the actual problem. However, these solutions are merely putting a bandaid over the true problem at hand. While it is true that building more climate resilient communities and strengthening coastal defenses are vital to protecting us from the harms of sea level rise, it is also important to consider our behaviors in the first place that actually cause sea level rise. Sea level rise is undoubtedly an anthropogenic problem because of the way global warming impacts glacial melt and causes the thermal expansion of seawater. In addition to building our resilience to this rise, I believe other policies such as reducing our carbon footprint are crucial to alleviating the negative consequences of sea level rise and actually target the root of the problem.
Hi JP! I really enjoyed your blog post here, and felt myself relating to a lot of the issues you discussed because I live off the coast of Florida, on a small island/peninsula, which has seen much of the effects of a rising sea level, especially as we combat the increasingly severe hurricane damage each hurricane season. My area specifically, Singer Island, has been cited in the past as a “hotspot” in Florida for sea level rise and concerns grow each year as the northern beaches shrink. Properties on the shore have built sea walls in the past, but my community has found many issues with this strategy, though as you point out, it is a logical measure that many areas experiencing the same thing do. These sea walls become an issue because they actually accelerate erosion and water tends to penetrate the island anyways. This has become an issue especially for the nesting of sea turtles, who come each year to lay their eggs upon the beaches. Concerns about invading the habitat of these turtles is quite alarming because leatherback, green, and loggerhead sea turtles nest here, all of which are listed as either threatened or endangered species under the ESA. Additionally, these seawalls and dykes are more often proposed to protect the wealthy shoreline condos and resorts, without much thought to the broader community who similarly suffers from the immense flooding and damage after storms. Strengthening natural barriers and policy to reduce emissions and thus the effects of climate change, are surely the long term solutions, as you mentioned in your post. Many florida areas, including my own, are implementing resilience strategies and in practice I am hopeful that there will be less loss because of extreme weather events and in my opinion, managed retreat will be quite difficult to implement – people are extremely reluctant as it is to evacuate even those who live in zone A, and this has been the experience in many coastal towns. Thanks again for sharing here – I’m excited to be able to read your research and share some of my experience with these issues to add to the broader conservation of sea level rise!
Hi JP, thanks for this thoughtful post! I found it interesting to learn about ‘blue carbon zones’ and the important role they play in mitigating the impacts of increasingly frequent and severe weather events in addition to flood risk. The rate at which these natural buffers can sequester carbon is astounding, ‘sequestering 50% of the carbon found in ocean sediments despite covering a mere 2% of the ocean’s surface area’, highlighting the powerful role natural solutions can play in mitigating climate change.
You mention that crucial nature of implementing adaption measures such as coastal resilience action plans, I wonder at what point governments decide that the costs of mitigating sea level rise in a coastal area outweigh the benefits and what elements within this evaluation/analysis carry the most weighting. Is it the economic value of the place the population or cultural significance. I also am intrigued by the different approaches cities/governments could take. Would the implementation of hard engineering or soft engineering coastal management strategies be most productive?
Thanks for the blog! As someone who grew up in a coastal city that’s already implementing a lot of the solutions outlined above, I am afraid that there’s only so much that infrastructure can do to fix the issue. Miami’s office of resilience has invested in raising the elevation of certain parts of Miami Beach, building pumps to accelerate draining after heavy rainfall, and building sea walls. However, when the city faces a major storm or king tides, the city still floods and experiences saltwater intrusion. The city is also looking at implementing natural solutions, like mangroves, sea grass, and artificial reefs, to dampen waves and reduce erosion and flooding. These initiatives are expensive, and if sea levels continue to rise, cities will have to constantly update infrastructure to adapt to even higher sea levels. Miami is also an affluent city with a booming financial district and with the funds to implement these solutions. Without government assistance, smaller coastal communities are likely to struggle to implement the infrastructure projects needed to prevent damage from sea level rise, so I wonder how coastal communities will leverage funding options given the current administration’s removal of funding for climate change issues.
Hi! I really enjoyed reading this blog post on the impacts of rising sea levels. It’s interesting to read about the adaptive approaches that can be taken to address rising sea levels. Specifically, I never considered the role wetlands can play in buffering cities. When it comes to city resilience, I feel like we often talk about updated facilities and resilient infrastructure, but this blog post highlighted the role nature can play in strengthening a city’s resilience. Investments in wetland restoration can be both an adaptive and mitigative solution to the issue of rising sea levels. It makes me wonder what other nature-based or two-fold solutions there are to address the impacts of climate change. Specifically, my town struggles with increased flooding. The local government has been considering investing in a flood wall to address this, but the costs of implementing this are large. I wonder if investing in nature based solutions to combat soil erosion would be a more worthy investment.
JP, thank you for this analysis of coastal community resilience in the face of rising sea levels. To me, this is one of the most prominent indicators of climate change in real-time. Some might not all be willing to admit they see the daily impacts of climate change (yet) and climate denial still remains strong across the nation, but communities are directly impacted by rising sea levels when their homes are flooded. Personally, I have had two experiences where coastal regions are comprised of majority Republican, climate-denying populations, but the people still believe in sea-level rise because they see it themselves. In my hometown, Staten Island, New York, there is a major seawall construction project underway that will create a new drainage system along the coast. This is a pleasant surprise; though my community faced devastation from Hurricane Sandy, I never expected to see environmental legislation to combat it due to local politics. Additionally, the Down East area in North Carolina surrounding Duke’s Marine Lab faces intense flooding and storm destruction; while many community members do not believe in the term ‘climate change’, they do believe in this issue. Many seem more open to policy related to mitigating sea-level rise impacts than they are for other climate change policies; I am glad we can watch community climate resilience forming to retroactively meet this challenge.