Title: Causes of Sea Level Rise: What the Science Tells Us | Union of Concerned Scientists
Headings: Causes of Sea Level Rise
Causes of Sea Level Rise
What the Science Tells Us
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Content: Roughly a third of the US population—more than 100 million people—live in coastal counties. Coastal states with large areas of low-lying land, including Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina, California, and South Carolina, are particularly vulnerable to rising seas and coastal storm surges. The risks to coastal states include: Shoreline erosion and degradation. Rising sea levels allow waves to penetrate further inland, even during calm conditions, increasing the potential for erosion. Amplified storm surges. Coastal storms often cause storm surges, which occur when high winds push water inland. With rising seas, storm surges occur on top of an elevated water level and reach farther inland, with potentially catastrophic damage to homes and infrastructure. Permanent inundation. Many low-lying coastal land areas are expected to be gradually submerged by rising sea levels.