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The land at multiple spots along California’s iconic coastline is sinking at startling rates, compounding the flooding risks posed by future sea level rise from Humboldt Bay to San Diego, according to a new study led by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The speed of the land sinking, or subsidence, helps show that regional estimates “largely underestimate” sea level rise in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. That adds a new layer of complication for cities along the 800-plus miles of coastline preparing for a far wetter future, while some are already dealing with flooding from climate-fueled storms and king tides.
Using satellite imagery, the scientists found that land along San Francisco Bay in San Rafael, Corte Madera, Foster City and Alameda’s Bay Farm Island is subsiding more than 0.4 inches a year. When considering the subsistence rate, local sea levels could rise by more than double the regional estimate by 2050…