Disappearing cities on US coasts

Abstract The sea level along the US coastlines is projected to rise by 0.25–0.3 m by 2050, increasing the probability of more destructive flooding and inundation in major cities 1–3 . However, these impacts may be exacerbated by coastal subsidence—the sinking of coastal land areas 4 —a factor that is often underrepresented in coastal-management policies and long-term urban planning 2,5 . In this study, we combine high-resolution vertical land motion (that is, raising or lowering of land) and elevation datasets with projections of sea-level rise to quantify the potential inundated areas in 32 major US coastal cities. Here we show that, even when considering the current coastal-defence structures, further land…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• UG
  U.S. Geological Survey