The Effects of Rising Sea Levels on the United States Coast of the Gulf of Mexico

Florida’s environment is a sub-tropical atmosphere, with hundreds of species of animals. Along the coast is were Florida’s natural wildlife and vegetation thrive; however, Florida has a serious issue that impacts its coastal environment. Each year global warming contributes to rising sea levels across the globe. Although Florida’s Coastal environment has survived for thousands of years, the increasing sea level along the gulf coast over recent years, has caused severe damage. Additional research is needed to understand the impact of rising waters on Florida’s Coastal eco-system.

People living in Miami are in the face of danger, and for the most part they are not aware of it. Due to high population, Miami is the fourth largest city to become affected by sea level rise. (Ankum et al.) In the next 32-50 years, sea level is expected to rise by as much as two feet. (Ankum et al.) This two-foot rise will have detrimental effects on the urban settings of Miami. The amount of soil erosion that is undergoing at our beaches will greatly increase if a two-foot rise occurs. At a four-foot rise, road connectivity would begin to become affected. At a six-foot rise, Southern Florida would no longer be habitable as it would, for the most part, be underwater. Not much is being invested in mitigation efforts, most of what is being done are short term solutions. Instead of coming up with ideas to prevent and try to slow down the effects of climate change on our environment, we are focusing on ideas such as building up a sea wall, relocating power plants, and redesigning structures.

Since 1880, records show that the sea level has bone up 8 inches. If it goes up six more inches, as the current studies indicate could happen within 20 years, South Florida’s flood control would be devastated. In South Florida, taxpayers are already paying the price for climate change as salt-water pushes through porous bedrock into coastal drinking-water supplies, and rivers and canals choked by heavy rains have a harder time draining into the ocean.

The sea-level in California increased about 1.4 meter in May, 2014 and the sea-level had increased 18 centimeters from 1900 to 2005. 3The rising of the sea level would increase the danger of flood. It would also pollute the groundwater and shrink the

Besides the direct effect of sea level rise, coastal flooding may also be a more prevalent and severe issue. For example, “sea level rise of two feet, without any changes in storms, would more than triple the frequency of dangerous coastal flooding throughout most of the Northeast” (Horton 374). The higher seas would increase the initial level, so that the flooding level would be much greater, especially during hurricanes. Recent hurricanes have become a good example of how much damage can occur to both humans and animals. For example, much of the coastal infrastructure is in danger of damage, which can affect commerce and the public’s health and safety: “In New York State, two feet of sea level rise is estimated...To flood or render unusable 212 miles of road, 77 miles of rail, 3,647 acres of airport facilities, and 539 acres of runways” (Horton 379). This loss of infrastructure may occur in every coastal Northeast state, especially in the south. In these southern Northeast states, the land is flat, which makes them easier to inundate with water. In addition to infrastructure, transportation is also at risk, with much of the major highways (I-95) and trains (Amtrak) at risk of coastal damage (Horton 380). More affected by sea level rise, ecosystems near water may be permanently damaged in upcoming years, and according to Rob Deconto, a climate scientist at University of

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, almost 40% of the population lives in high population-dense coastal areas. Around the world, eight of the world’s ten largest cities are situated near a coast, with about 250 million people living by a coast line less than 5 feet above sea level. It is projected that all of these people will be directly affected in some way by seawater rising in the future (Siegert, 2017). For the county of Orleans Parish, the rapid loss of coastal land is not a future scenario, but a current reality. Due to our unique geography, Louisiana loses about 16 square miles a year; the rapid erosion of Louisiana’s cost is only expected to accelerate over time. (Wernick, 2014).

When the sea level rises, this can be due to multiple factors including climate change and subsidence. Climate change and warming reports identify that “postglacial temperature has increased 13°F in the Gulf region” (Morton 22). This is important evidence because rising temperatures coincide with rising sea levels. As sea water warms, it expands and takes up more room causing sea levels to rise. Additionally, melting glacial ice cause the rise of sea level and is due to climate warming as

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is a human problem, like most other disasters. What this means is that once the place thrived and was ecologically balanced, but we tipped the balance slightly and wrecked havoc upon the environment. It has been noted to occur since the 1950’s and is ongoing. The reason that this dead zone occurs is because of a phenomenon known as eutrophication. Eutrophication is when there is an excessive amount of nutrients in a body of water and it causes an abundance of plants to grow. In this case the nearby farms had been using nitrogen in their fertilizers. The nitrogen got carried into the ocean through rain and other forms of

(2017, April 19). Sea Level Rise Will Reshape U.S. Population In All 50 States. Retrieved April 13, 2018, from https://e360.yale.edu/digest/sea-level-rise-will-reshape-u-s-population-in-all-50-states

Wind powered surface currents and waves, along with moon and sun powered tides, greatly impact Earth’s coastlines. As warm or cold water ocean currents affect coastal climates, waves release energy, shifting sand and sediments, eroding and replenishing coastline shores; all while tides raise and lower sea level. Florida’s east coast, encompassed by barrier islands, is affected by subtropical ocean waters provided by the Gulf Stream, facilitating warm and humid climates, as well as hurricanes. As these warm ocean waters interact with Florida’s barrier islands, through wave action and tides, its coastline continuously transforms.

With The Gulf of Mexico being the ninth largest body of water in the world, it is obvious that there may be a few environmental problems. The estuaries of The Gulf of Mexico are being destroyed and there is no one to point fingers at except ourselves. Estuaries provide humans with many uses and benefits such as a water supply, trading ports, agricultural support, sport and commercial fisheries, and even recreational uses for swimming or jet skiing. People from all over the world come to our city of Pensacola just to enjoy our beautiful gulf that we take for granted and treat horribly. Tourism in the gulf generates around $20 billion per year, while the waters yield about 1.51 billion pounds of fish and shellfish in 1996. In 1996, the Gulf of Mexico also contributed 57% of the entire oyster production in the United States.

The Sea Level has increased over the past 200 years as average global temperatures have increased. The rise is due to two factors, the freshwater being added to the oceans from ice melt in the cryosphere, and the thermal expansion of the oceans due to rises in sea temperature. The sea level has risen 6 to 8 inches in the past 100 years. It is predicted to rise another 50 to 90 centimeters in the next century. As the sea level rises it’s jeopardizing rapidly growing coastal communities, which causes evacuation in some areas causing people to lose their homes. Sea level is the effect

The combination of these and other trends was an estimated average sea-level increase of 1.5mm per year between 1961 and 2003, which reached 2.4mm per year in the decade from 1993 to 2003. The decades prior to this trend showed only minor fluctuations in sea-level, suggesting that the current rate exceeds what could be caused by natural cycles. While the exact impact of rising oceans is difficult to determine, it is certain that the consequences will include some degree of flooding, integration of salt water into water tables, and a loss of land due to coastal erosion and submersion.6

Since 1930, this small state has lost landmass the size of Delaware. A combination of rising sea level and worsening storms is sweeping so much land into the ocean every year it is the equivalent to losing Manhattan.

The oceans have been part of the earth before mankind was even thought of. Greenhouse gas emissions are changing them for the worse. Ocean levels are rising because of the thermal expansion of warming oceans, according to IPCC, this rising can result in many floods across America (Michael). The rising of the ocean can have tragic effects on our economy, meaning that rising in water will result in less area for many shore side organisms. If that's not enough Climate Central predicts that 140-160 million houses and building will be below sea level in a century (Michael).