Alarming new forecasts reveal how America's iconic coastal cities could soon be swallowed by the ocean

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Alarming new forecasts reveal how America's iconic coastal cities could soon be swallowed by the ocean
Published: Nov, 21 2024 20:04

Millions of people living in US coastal cities could see their homes sink into the ocean in the coming decades, a study warns. Researchers at the US Geological Survey (USGS) forecast that by 2100, the East Coast will be devastated by rising sea levels, flooding and sinking land.

 [Millions of people along the southeast Atlantic coast will be displaced by 2100 due to rising sea levels, subsidence and flooding]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Millions of people along the southeast Atlantic coast will be displaced by 2100 due to rising sea levels, subsidence and flooding]

They estimate that if the sea level rises 3.2 feet by 2100, as the United Nations has predicted, more than 14 million Americans would be affected in places like Norfolk, Virginia to Miami, Florida and New York City. They estimated that it would cost over $1 trillion of property damage and cause the region to lose up to 80 percent of it's beaches.

 [This map shows how much the shoreline will be impacted by coastal flooding, sinking land and rising sea levels]
Image Credit: Mail Online [This map shows how much the shoreline will be impacted by coastal flooding, sinking land and rising sea levels]

Meanwhile, a separate study found that California's immense water demands are causing parts of the state to sink at record-breaking rates. Researchers at Stanford University found that the San Joaquin Valley is sinking at a rate of nearly one inch per year.

 [Groundwater in California has been significantly reduced due to redistributing across the US in the wake of severe droughts. Pictured: A newly dug canal (left) was built next to the Friant-Kern Canal (right) after subsidence diminished it by 60 percent]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Groundwater in California has been significantly reduced due to redistributing across the US in the wake of severe droughts. Pictured: A newly dug canal (left) was built next to the Friant-Kern Canal (right) after subsidence diminished it by 60 percent]

The phenomenon, called subsidence, is often caused by removing water, natural gas or mineral resources from the ground. When water is continuously extracted from the Earth's surface and isn't replenished, it causes the sediments to compress, damaging aqueducts and permanently altering aquifers.

 [Maps show the period of subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley. The left image shows areas where it sunk from 2006 to 2010 and the right shows subsidence from 2015 through 2022]
Image Credit: Mail Online [Maps show the period of subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley. The left image shows areas where it sunk from 2006 to 2010 and the right shows subsidence from 2015 through 2022]

'There are two astonishing things about the subsidence in the valley,' said the study's co-author Rosemary Knight. 'First, is the magnitude of what occurred prior to 1970. And second, is that it is happening again today.'. Rising sea levels, hurricanes and sinking land has caused parts of the east coast to flood. Pictured: Heavy rain hit Alexandria, Virginia in 2021 which caused some of the worst flooding and damages in decades.

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