Scientists Flood Forests to Mimic Rising Seas
A story in E&E News features insights from a peer-reviewed journal article about sea level rise and wetland loss in the Chesapeake Bay region.
The way coasts change — or are developed — will have important implications for how much damage is done.
A study published last month in the journal Natural Hazards Review found that sea-level rise combined with wetland loss could create $2.5 billion–$13 billion in property damage during a strong storm that hits in 2100 or later.
The area flooded during such a storm could be up to 2 ½ times larger than without sea-level rise and wetland loss. Even low-intensity storms are projected to have greater impacts in the future than high-intensity storms today due in large part to the reduction of coastal wetlands, the study concluded.
