U.S. Coastal Cities at Risk of More Floods in the Future

Coastal cities within the United States, such as New York and San Francisco, could experience more floods in the future, a new study reported.

"Coastal communities are beginning to experience sunny-day nuisance or urban flooding, much more so than in decades past," said study co-author, William Sweet of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reported by CBS News.

For this study, the researchers analyzed 50 years of data taken from the NOAA"s tidal gauges in order to estimate how much seal levels can rise by 2100. They estimated that from now to 2100, sea levels could rise from one-and-half feet to four feet.

The team calculated that by 2050, cities that sit along the Mid-Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts could see a yearly increase of 30 or more days of flooding. These floods could reach up to two feet.

"This is sea level rise. Unfortunately, once impacts are noticed, they will become commonplace rather quickly," Sweet said. "We find that in 30 to 40 years even modest projections of global sea level rise ... will increase instances of daily high tide flooding to a point requiring an active, and potentially costly, response."

The study was not able to predict the increase of flooding in Miami, FL due to Hurricane Andrew, which damaged the NOAA tide stations within the city back in 1992.

Due to these climate changes, cities, such as New York and Chicago, have been drafting adaptation plans. Some of these plans include improving forecasting and limiting building near vulnerable coastlines.

"As communities across the country become increasingly vulnerable to water inundation and flooding, effective risk management is going to become more heavily reliant on environmental data and analysis," Holly Bamford, NOAA acting assistant secretary for conservation and management, said. "Businesses, coastal managers, federal, state, and local governments, and non-governmental organizations can use research such as this as another tool as they develop plans to reduce vulnerabilities, adapt to change, and ensure they're resilient against future events."

The study, "From the extreme to the mean: Acceleration and tipping points of coastal inundation from sea level rise," was published in the American Geophysical Union's journal, Earth's Future.