The rising sea levels caused by climate change are expected to cause big problems for the coastal cities of the country. These problems could get worse in the future because the cities are sinking, according to a study released this week.
The study was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.It discovered that coastal areas of land are sinking.
This is happening because of natural and human activities, such as pumping out fluid from the ground, explained Leonard Ohenhen, an author of the study.
The study examined 32 coastal cities in the U.S., including New York and Boston on the East Coast, New Orleans on the Gulf Coast, and San Francisco on the West Coast. It mentioned that the West Coast has comparatively lower risks than the other coasts.
According to the study, Miami on the Atlantic Coast could be at the highest risk.
It predicts that without preventive measures, there could be threats to between 55,000 and 273,000 people and between 31,000 and 171,000 properties.
When asked about the nature of these threats, study author Manoochehr Shirzaei said they mean that the properties “will permanently be flooded” and people will be displaced.
However, Ohenhen mentioned that at least some of the flood risk may be reduced through actions like raising buildings, constructing levees, and injecting groundwater into the ground.
