Rising seas could swallow millions of U.S. acres within decades

[NickB79]

Source: Washington Post

Researchers at Climate Central took scientific data on projected sea level rise, as well as information about state tidal boundaries, and combined that with records on more than 50 million individual properties across hundreds of U.S. counties to identify parcels most likely at risk.

Their conclusion: Nearly 650,000 individual, privately owned parcels, across as many as 4.4 million acres of land, are projected to fall below changing tidal boundaries by 2050. The land affected could swell to 9.1 million acres by 2100. According to Thursday’s analysis, properties with a collective assessed value of $108 billion could be affected by the end of the century, based on current emissions. But, the authors noted, because complete property values were not available for all counties, the actual total is likely to be far higher.

The changes also could come gradually at first, then quickly. In many communities, the authors wrote, structures are clustered in areas that historically are on safe ground. But once rising seas reach those densely developed elevations, “the number of affected buildings sharply increases.”

“As the sea is rising, tide lines are moving up elevation, upslope and inland,” said Don Bain, a senior adviser at Climate Central and an expert in sea level rise, who led the analysis. “People really haven’t internalized that yet — that ‘Hey, I’m going to have something taken away from me by the sea.’ ”

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/rising-seas-could-swallow-millions-of-us-acres-within-decades/ar-AA11Br7i

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And this is just in the US. Other nations around the world will be similarly impacted. If you have coastal properties, I'd advise selling it now. Preferably to Republicans.

The loss of property value will be in the trillions globally, in only 30 years time.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. These are probably underestimates IMHO

Long before your land is underwater for hours of the day every day, it's going to be salted during storms, esp. those occurring at high tides. This doesn't make them unusable for dwelling but if you're expecting to grow things from the soil (or raise grass-fed livestock) ... good luck.

[NickB79]

3. Yep, already happening. Look up "ghost forests"

Millions of acres of coastal forest in the US alone are already dying as sea water moves inland

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-ecologists-are-haunted-rapid-growth-ghost-forests-180977674/

[elocs]

2. Ironic considering what is happening in CA now.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/12/weather/california-megaflood-study/index.html
A disastrous megaflood is coming to California, experts say, and it could be the most expensive natural disaster in history:

"Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UCLA and a researcher involved in the study, describes a megaflood as, "a very severe flood event across a broad region that has the potential to bring catastrophic impacts to society in the areas affected." He said a megaflood is similar to the 1,000-year flash flood events seen this summer in the St. Louis area and Kentucky, but across a much wider area, such as the entire state of California.

These massive floods, which experts say would turn California's lowlands into a "vast inland sea," might have previously happened once in a lifetime in the state. But experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of these catastrophic disasters, causing them to occur more like every 25 to 50 years.

California is prone to these floods from atmospheric rivers naturally, and major floods from them have happened before -- but climate change is upping the ante, and millions of people could be impacted."

[Auggie]

4. Yep. Additionally, dams in the Central Valley are on the verge of failure ...

a perfect storm, perhaps: atmospheric rivers and a seismic event.

[msongs]

5. also known as restoring underground water supplies and aquifers nt

[Drum]

8. 👆

Exactly…let’s look at different sides of this.

[Warpy]

10. Lake Mead is the biggest problem

Some experts warn it will reach deadpool level in 2024 unless there are huge rain and snowpack events this winter and next winter. That means that no water will be released into the Colorado River and power generation will be impossible.

This is terrifying, it means there will be internal refugees starting in 2 years, rural people first, then exurban people, then suburban and city people. Dry wells and trucked in water are already happening in rural AZ.

John Wesley Powell, a 19th century geologist, anthropologist and environmentalist warned that only about 2% of the land out west was suitable for agriculture, that 2% being directly adjacent to rivers and streams. He also warned that damming the rivers would likely be catastrophic to natural systems. It's turning out he was right.

The irony is that Lake Powell is named for him.

[Chainfire]

6. Here, in Florida, the properties that are in jeopardy generally belong to the rich.

So I expect the government to either buy them out or build massive engineering projects to keep the water out of their places. If beachfront properties were owned by poor folks they would be on their own.

[mpcamb]

7. Offer swimming lesions instead to rich folks. Dike up the poverty areas.

That's the way to serve the majority.

[certainot]

11. florida will go fast and yet 5 universities there broadcast sports on/support 20 climate denying

x-limbaugh stations - idiotic.

from fakenewsradio.org - FLORIDA 20 Florida 10, Florida St. 4 Miami 2, South Florida 2, Central Florida 2 and there are 82 other unis at least that have been helping the republicans lie about climate for 30 years on more than 260 x-limbaugh stations......

[Ray Bruns]

9. The great thing about climate change is that it is going to happen whether you believe in it or not.

[StarryNite]

13. Exactly!

I was just thinking that all the denying in the world won't stop it from happening.

[RussBLib]

16. what's so 'great' about that? nt

yeah, I get it

[Ray Bruns]

19. We get to say "We told you so" while we all drown from the rising seas.

[Ford_Prefect]

12. The North Carolina Legislature in 2012 passed a law which denied climate change

based on science by requiring that there may be no prediction of tides higher than historically observed. This was in response to a state agency predicting that tides would likely rise at least 39 inches above current average heights during the coming century, if not more than that and sooner.

The reason they did this was said to be to protect the many wealthy owners of seafront properties for both their invested value and against possible insurance increases or refusal of coverage. We had already seen inshore damage from rising saltwater tables which have killed trees and shrubs along rivers near the sea as well as altering the balance in fresh water habitats and swamps near the coast.

Denial is not a river in Egypt it is GOP policy in response to science they do not like.

Imagine...

[pansypoo53219]

14. milwaukee looks better all the time. high enough + fresh water access.

[elocs]

17. + crime. n/t

[RussBLib]

15. it's a balancing act for us

We live on a barrier island in Texas. We are roughly 9' above sea level. We are also both retired and not yet 70 years old, so we don't have all that many years left.

It's a gamble, but we are betting that we will die before the worst sea level rise hits. Really not so much a gamble as an avoidance of what seems to be the pending reality. No one wants to think about it. No one really wants to talk about it, much less do anything about it.

Half of me wants to sell this place ASAP and move inland and upland. The other half wants to enjoy coastal living while we can. We may be the last generation to be able to live here.

If we move, how far is far enough in and up? We'd have to go inland over 100 miles to get to 100' elevation, 200 miles to get to 400' elevation, 400 miles to get to 1,000' elevation.

[purr-rat beauty]

18. Imagine how much resources have been wasted

Building all those massive beach houses that will be surrounded by water

[twodogsbarking]

20. Maybe decades, maybe sooner.

[NNadir]

21. Yes but...

"Nuclear power is 'too expensive.'"

I've heard that lots of times here.