The Drowning South: Where Seas Are Rising at Alarming Speed

[mahatmakanejeeves]

THE DROWNING SOUTH
WHERE SEAS ARE RISING AT ALARMING SPEED

By Chris Mooney, Brady Dennis, Kevin Crowe and John Muyskens
April 29, 2024 at 6:00 a.m.

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One of the most rapid sea level surges on Earth is besieging the American South, forcing a reckoning for coastal communities across eight U.S. states, a Washington Post analysis has found. ... At more than a dozen tide gauges spanning from Texas to North Carolina, sea levels are at least 6 inches higher than they were in 2010 — a change similar to what occurred over the previous five decades.

Scientists are documenting a barrage of impacts — ones, they say, that will confront an even larger swath of U.S. coastal communities in the coming decades — even as they try to decipher the precise causes of this recent surge. ... The Gulf of Mexico has experienced twice the global average rate of sea level rise since 2010, a Post analysis of satellite data shows. Few other places on the planet have seen similar rates of increase, such as the North Sea near the United Kingdom.

“Since 2010, it’s very abnormal and unprecedented,” said Jianjun Yin, a climate scientist at the University of Arizona who has studied the changes. While it is possible the swift rate of sea level rise could eventually taper, the higher water that has already arrived in recent years is here to stay. ... “It’s irreversible,” he said.

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Chris Mooney
Chris Mooney is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter covering climate change, energy, and the environment. He has reported from the 2015 Paris climate negotiations, the Northwest Passage, and the Greenland ice sheet, among other locations, and has written four books about science, politics and climate change. @chriscmooney

Brady Dennis
Brady Dennis is a Pulitzer Prize-winning national reporter for The Washington Post, focusing on environmental and climate stories, primarily around the Southeast. He previously has covered the Environmental Protection Agency, international climate policy, the Food and Drug Administration and the nation’s economy. @brady_dennis

Kevin Crowe
Kevin Crowe is a Climate data reporter at The Washington Post. Before joining The Post, he was an investigative data reporter at USA Today, where he worked on stories about climate and housing. He earlier worked for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, inewsource in San Diego and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He works in Wisconsin and Puerto Rico. @kcrowebasspro

John Muyskens
John Muyskens is a graphics reporter who focuses on climate change and environmental justice. @JohnMuyskens

[lark]

1. The river is certainly higher here.

I've lived in Jax across from the river for the past 40 years. However, we live on a hill so are about 40 ft above the water. It is much closer to the houses on the river than it used to be and one of the neighbors put up a bulkhead to try and retain some yard. So glad we were smart enough to not buy directly on the river or ocean. For one, we couldn't afford most of it, and for 2 - it was unsafe for the long term no matter the cost .

[CrispyQ]

2. Whoa! 8" in TX, LA, 7" in the Carolinas.

We're so fucked we don't even know how fucked we are. I think the average person hasn't begun to grasp the changes we're in for. I feel so badly for the kids in my neighborhood, six & seven year olds.

[keithbvadu2]

3. Climate change could virtually disappear in Florida -- at least according to state law

Just legislate/regulate it away.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1127173671

[ananda]

5. Just take out the "in"

Climate change could virtually disappear Florida.

[IronLionZion]

4. Even MAGA types living in those areas are in denial

they can literally see the flooding in their neighborhoods and claim it's not happening.

[Warpy]

6. So much for "rhe south will rise again"

on all those license plate holders I used to see down there.

It's a damned shame the Outer Banks will largely disappear. Beachfront McMansions, not so much.

[hunter]

8. The Outer Banks will carry on just fine, shedding human infrastructure at an increasing rate.

The time will come when we can't keep up.

[Warpy]

9. Mass. has the best laws about that

If your beachfront house is destroyed in a storm, you're prevented from rebuilding on that property. You can take the insurance money and find a lot more inland to rebuild on. Chances are your grandchildren will enjoy it as a beachfront house.

[4lbs]

7. When in doubt, trust the military's readiness action regarding this, and not the hot air from politicians.

Last edited Fri May 31, 2024, 10:08 AM - Edit history (1)

Southern politicians: "Meh. Climate Change is a hoax."

US military in the South: "Yeah, sure. That's why we are spending billions of dollars to prepare our bases and ports for it when it happens in a few years. Because it is a hoax and we love spending money on other things than guns and ammo."