Miami, Florida – The Canary in the Climate Coal Mine
Miami already faces “sunny day flooding” when high tides spill onto streets or bubble up from storm drains, making it the poster child for America’s sea level rise crisis. This coastal metropolis sits on average less than 2 meters above sea level and has the highest percentage of exposure, making up 38–44% of the exposed area, 38–46% of the exposed population, and 41–49% of the exposed properties along the Atlantic coast that will be affected by rising sea levels over the next 30 years. The city’s vulnerability stems from its unique geography – built on porous limestone that allows seawater to seep upward through the ground.
Miami showed the greatest share of exposure to flooding, with up to 122,000 people and up to 81,000 properties that could be at risk of flooding by 2050. The economic implications are staggering, with billions in real estate value sitting in flood-prone areas. What makes Miami particularly alarming is that events like sunny day flooding will only become more common and more damaging as sea level rise continues.
Norfolk, Virginia – Military Base Under Siege
Norfolk represents a unique case where national security meets climate vulnerability. The fastest rates of sea level rise are in Gulf states, like Texas and Louisiana, but many of the East Coast cities like Norfolk, Virginia, and Solomons Island, Maryland, are also seeing rapid acceleration, due to patterns of water distribution related to glacial melt from the Greenland ice sheet. This historic naval city houses the world’s largest naval base, making its flooding a matter of national defense.
Norfolk and Virginia Beach cities are sinking at a rate greater than 0.13 inches per year, with some areas sinking more quickly than others. The combination of sinking land and rising seas creates a devastating double threat. This is an extremely concerning situation for Norfolk, as the city’s critical infrastructure, including naval facilities, faces increasing flood risks that could compromise military readiness.
New Orleans, Louisiana – The Bowl Below Sea Level
New Orleans presents perhaps the most dramatic example of vulnerability, with much of the city already sitting below sea level. Large cities surrounded by water — such as Boston, New Orleans and San Francisco — will be among the regions that could experience flooding in the near future due to land elevation changes combined with sea level rise — about 4 millimeters per year. The city’s unique geography creates a bowl-like depression that makes it especially susceptible to flooding from multiple directions…