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flood-control structures, reducing their capacity by as |
much as 20% to 40% by 2030. By about 2040, 6 |
to 9 inches of sea-level rise may reduce their capacity by 65% to 70%. Most of these early impacts will |
be felt in low-lying coastal areas, such as southern |
Miami-Dade and the St. Johns River watershed |
(Heimlich et al., 2009; Obeysekera, 2009). |
With sea-level rise, storm surge could penetrate farther inland and flood with seawater those areas near |
primary canals and rivers. This could cause more serious flood damage during hurricanes and possibly |
temporarily contaminate aquifers with seawater |
(Heimlich et al., 2009). |
WHAT IS POSSIBLE: |
What is currently considered a 100-year flood event |
will likely become a 50- or 20-year event as sea |
level continues to rise. |
Primary drainage canals may not be able to function |
without the aid of pumps to offset the effects of sealevel rise (Obeysekera, 2009). |
Innovative approaches to augment flood-control systems will be needed as sea-level rise compromises |
existing systems (Heimlich et al., 2009). |
Considering sea-level rise and the likelihood of more |
intense hurricanes and rainstorms, engineering solutions such as dunes, dikes, seawalls, sea gates, |
locks, pumping stations, etc. will need to be evaluated (Heimlich et al., 2009). |
II. Sea-Level Rise and Its Effects |
on Florida’s Ocean |
and Coastal Resources |
EFFECT : Increased Flooding Risks |
Sea-level rise will increase the risk of tidal flooding in coastal areas (Murley et al., 2008). Hurricane storm |
surge and wave heights during hurricanes will be higher with sea-level rise (R. Alvarez, personal communication). In low-lying interior areas, stormwater drainage systems will be compromised as sea-level rises, increasing the risk of flooding during heavy rains (Heimlich et al., 2009). |
WHAT WE KNOW: |
As sea level rises, low-lying coastal areas will |
be increasingly prone to coastal flooding, especially during spring and fall high tides and during sea swells due to seaward storms, strong |
onshore winds, and other causes (Murley et al., |
2008). |
Storm surge and wave heights during hurricanes |
will increase as coastal water depths increase |
with sea-level rise, amplifying the damage potential of hurricanes (R. Alvarez, personal communication). |
Because Florida’s stormwater drainage systems |
rely mainly on gravity, sea-level rise will reduce |
their effectiveness (South Florida Water Management District, 2009). |
Because climate change is expected to cause |
more intense rainstorms and hurricanes, sea-level |
rise will exacerbate the risk of inland flooding |
during intense rainfall, especially in low-lying interior flood plains such as exist in southeastern |
Florida (Heimlich et al., 2009). |
II |
19 |
Effects of sea-level rise identified in this document are expected to result in major changes |
to Florida’s marine resources as well as to its |
developed coastal areas. To sustain the quality of life of residents, the diversity and productivity of marine ecosystems, and the |
economy of the state in the face of these |
changes, residents, elected officials, resource |
managers, and university scientists must work |
together to find timely, responsible, and effective solutions. These may often involve difficult |
decisions that consider trade-offs among the various sectors that depend on coastal resources, |
and as such, they will be politically as well as |
technologically challenging. Thus it is imperative that decisions be based on sound science. |
The Florida Oceans and Coastal Council will |
continue to address the critical information |
needs related to sea-level rise for coastal and |
marine systems during its future deliberations. |
The following recommendations from the Council’s first Annual Science Research Plan, for |
2006–2007, directly support Florida’s information needs concerning sea-level rise: |
• Identify and prioritize specific coastline areas |
around the state for bathymetric mapping, |
with the goal of mapping the state’s entire |
coastline, to allow better monitoring and |
prediction of changes in the configuration of |
the state’s coastline resulting from sea-level rise |
and storms. |
• Evaluate the long-term stability of coastal |
wetlands (marshes, mangroves, seagrasses) |
in relation to sea-level rise and episodic disturbances such as hurricanes. |
• Determine the locations and sizes, dominant |
physico-chemical features, living resources, |
and unique ecological functions of all brackish and tidal-fresh waters in Florida. |
• Determine the social, economic, and environmental consequences of increasing rates |
of beach erosion, coastal armoring, and |
beach renourishment. |
• Determine the effect of continued beach renourishment projects on turtle, seabird, and |
adjacent coral and fish populations and on |
other organisms that depend on beach |
ecosystems for food, shelter, and reproduction. |
• Determine the role of the shoreline in reducing wave and flood damage, including ways |
to implement shoreline protection measures |
that do not damage the coastal and offshore natural environment. Develop a scientific basis for determining erosion and |
coastal setback zones. |
Sea-Level Rise Priorities |
for Florida’s Ocean |
and Coastal Research |
SECTION |
III. |
III |
20 |
• Establish continuous, long-term monitoring in |
estuaries and coastal waters to support the |
development of modeling tools, to assess |
the impact of sea-level rise, and to assist in |
resource management (for instance, commercial and sport fisheries). |
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