Under the most probable scenarios, sea levels along the Northeast Atlantic coast are projected to rise between 2 feet and 4.5 feet (0.6 m and 1.4 m) on average in the region by 2100.

Submitted by sdhandler on

Shorter-term fluctuations in the variability of ocean dynamics, atmospheric shifts, and ice mass loss from Greenland and Antarctica have been connected to recent accelerations in the sea level rise rate in this region. Sea levels have risen over the past century, and all global climate models agree that sea level will rise over the next century. Worst-case and lowest-probability scenarios project that sea levels in the region could rise upwards of 11 feet (3 m) on average by the end of the century. The diversity of the Northeast’s coastal landscape means that sea level rise have varying impacts on different locations along the coast. Rocky, heavily developed coasts and low-elevation areas will become gradually inundated, whereas more dynamic environments, such as mainland and barrier beaches, bluffs, and coastal wetlands, are likely to migrate landward, narrow, or erode.

Evidence
Agreement