Atlantic Coast Infrastructure at Risk from Sea Level Rise

A new study highlights the urgency of restructuring East Coast infrastructure, showing that cities on the Atlantic are sinking by as much as 5 millimeters per year. “Global warming is causing a rise in sea levels, meaning coastal areas are particularly at risk,” explains Robyn White in Newsweek.

While entire areas are unlikely to sink into the ocean, sea level rise threatens infrastructure near the coast. “For example, significant areas of critical infrastructure in New York, including JFK and LaGuardia airports and its runways, along with the railway systems, are affected by subsidence rates exceeding 2 mm per year,” explains Leonard Ohenhen, lead author of the study.

Sea level rise and subsidence is already impacting U.S. infrastructure. On the West Coast, a key Southern California rail corridor was shut down on and off for months as a result of coastal erosion. In Northern California, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) completed its first-ever road relocation project in November of last year.