Title: Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas | Climate Change Impacts | US EPA
Headings: Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas
Climate Change Impacts
Climate Impacts on Coastal Areas
On This Page:
Overview
Key Points
Sea Level Rise
Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer
Impacts of Changes in Storm Surge and Precipitation
Impacts of Coastal Water Temperature
Climate Ready Estuaries Program
Impacts to Coral Reefs and Shellfish
References

Content: The terms "local" or "relative" sea level refer to both the global change in sea level and the effects of land motion. Where the land is sinking, the rate of relative sea level rise is larger than the global rate. Some of the fastest rates of relative sea level rise in the United States are occurring in areas where the land is sinking, including parts of the Gulf Coast. For example, coastal Louisiana has seen its relative sea level rise by eight inches or more in the last 50 years, [2] which is about twice the global rate. Subsiding land in the Chesapeake Bay area worsens the effects of relative sea level rise, increasing the risk of flooding in cities, inhabited islands, and tidal wetlands. [ 2]
Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has developed a tool to visualize the potential impacts of sea level rise on coastal communities in the United States. NOAA's sea level rise and coastal flooding impacts viewer. Source: NOAA (2012)
Mostly because of these differences in land motion, estimates of future relative sea level rise vary for different regions. Climate change models project that global sea level rise will accelerate in the 21st century.