{"id":19696,"date":"2024-01-09T12:55:21","date_gmt":"2024-01-09T17:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=18877"},"modified":"2024-08-07T12:19:45","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T16:19:45","slug":"seven-more-feet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/seven-more-feet\/","title":{"rendered":"Vital Signs: Seven More Feet?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Projections show that U.S. sea levels will increase the most along the East Coast and Gulf Coast \u2014 and that a failure to curb emissions could raise waters up to seven feet by the end of the century.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Tens of millions of people in the United States and hundreds of millions globally live in areas that are at risk of coastal flooding. Rising sea levels, along with sinking lands, will combine with other coastal flood factors \u2014 storm surge, wave effects, river flows, and heavy rains \u2014 to significantly increase the exposure of coastal communities, ecosystems, and economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sea level rise threatens infrastructure necessary for local jobs, regional industries, and public safety, such as roads, subways, drinking water supplies, power plants, oil and gas wells, and sewage treatment systems. Long-term sea level rise also will affect the extent, frequency, and duration of coastal flooding. High-tide flooding events that occur only a few times a year now could occur once a month, or once a week, in the coming decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These same water level changes might also increase coastal erosion and groundwater levels. Elevated groundwater levels can lead to increased rainfall runoff and compromised underground infrastructure, such as public utilities, septic systems, and structural foundations. Higher water levels also mean deadly and destructive storm surges, wave impacts, and rainwater are unable to drain from homes and businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n