Climate Change to Bring Dramatic Surge in East Coast Floods, Scientists Warn

Dozens of cities and towns on the U.S. Atlantic coast will face a dramatic increase in tidal flooding within just 15 years as a direct result of climate change-driven sea level rise, with some communities projected to face such frequent flooding in the near future they could become unlivable, a study released Wednesday reveals.

The report, entitled Encroaching Tides: How Sea Level Rise and Tidal Flooding Threaten U.S. East and Gulf Coast Communities over the Next 30 Years, was published by the Union of Concerned Scientists. Researchers analyzed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tide gauges for 52 cities from Maine to Texas and then used this data to project future sea rise and metropolitan flooding.

The report finds that most cities and towns on the Atlantic coast already face dozens of high tide floods on an annual basis as a result of climbing sea levels, which rose about 8 inches between 1880 and 2009. In just 15 years, this problem is projected  to grow worse. By 2030, over half of the 52 cities analyzed will face an average of two dozen of such floods a year. And two-thirds of the 52 cities evaluated will see three times the amount of floods they face today.

For some cities, this boosts flood frequency to staggering levels. Annapolis, Maryland and Washington, D.C. are two cities that, in 15 years, will face over 150 tidal flood events annually.