Many US cities have passed 'tipping point' for sea level rise, Study

An all new study has found out that, major US cities, like Washington, D.C. and Annapolis, Md are already past a "tipping point" in reference to the frequent flooding that is caused by sea level rise.

For this research, researchers had made use of tide-gauge data and analyzed the sea level rise projections. All this was done by the researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The results so generated showed that Washington, D.C., Annapolis and Wilmington, N.C. have already reached a point where the cities will receive over 30 days of flooding per year with water rising up to two feet above high tide levels. The study asserts that by 2050, the majority of US coastal areas will most likely be affected by similar flooding trends.

William Sweet, an oceanographer with NOAA's National Ocean Service said, "Unfortunately, once impacts are noticed, they will become commonplace rather quickly. We find that in 30 to 40 years, even modest projections of global sea level rise 1½ feet by the year 2100 will increase instances of daily high tide flooding to a point requiring an active, and potentially costly response".

The authors of this research have further claimed that in the future roads and heavily utilized infrastructure will be seriously affected by the flooding. This is very much possible considering the fact that there will be little time for repairs between floods in many places.

The study further suggests that there will be more frequent low coastal areas flooding happening daily during high tides by the end of the century. Also, areas like Baltimore and Annapolis will also have to plan sooner than expected to deal with a rapid increase in flooding in the coming years.