Flooding Hot Spots: Why Seas Are Rising Faster on the U.S. East Coast
Scientists are unraveling the reasons why some parts of the world are experiencing sea level increases far beyond the global average. A prime example is the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, which has been experiencing �sunny day flooding� that had not been expected for decades.
By Jim Morrison for Yale360 � April 24, 2018
Seen from a pedestrian footbridge overlooking Myrtle Park � a sliver of land that Norfolk, Virginia is allowing to revert to wetlands � the panorama of surrounding homes illustrates the accelerating sea level rise that has beleaguered this neighborhood along the Lafayette River.
A grey house, among the first raised in the area, is slightly elevated on cinderblocks, standing 2 feet off the ground. Nearby, owners of a white-sided house with black shutters have lifted their dwelling about 4 feet above ground level. And on the right, a brick house resting on cinderblocks rises incongruously 11 feet above the street.
The roads circling Myrtle Park are cracked and disintegrating due to frequent flooding. Tidal grasses like Spartina are springing up. The boulevard a block away, which leads to the world�s largest naval base, floods several times a year and the frequency is increasing.
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Scientists are unraveling the reasons why some parts of the world are experiencing sea level increases far beyond the global average. A prime example is the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, which has been experiencing �sunny day flooding� that had not been expected for decades.
By Jim Morrison for Yale360 � April 24, 2018
Seen from a pedestrian footbridge overlooking Myrtle Park � a sliver of land that Norfolk, Virginia is allowing to revert to wetlands � the panorama of surrounding homes illustrates the accelerating sea level rise that has beleaguered this neighborhood along the Lafayette River.
A grey house, among the first raised in the area, is slightly elevated on cinderblocks, standing 2 feet off the ground. Nearby, owners of a white-sided house with black shutters have lifted their dwelling about 4 feet above ground level. And on the right, a brick house resting on cinderblocks rises incongruously 11 feet above the street.
The roads circling Myrtle Park are cracked and disintegrating due to frequent flooding. Tidal grasses like Spartina are springing up. The boulevard a block away, which leads to the world�s largest naval base, floods several times a year and the frequency is increasing.
