Sea Level Rise and Coastal Erosion in the United States
Faculty Mentor
Richard Orndorff
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
10-5-2023 11:15 AM
End Date
10-5-2023 1:00 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Department
Geology
Abstract
Coastal erosion is an ongoing process resulting from hydraulic pressure, abrasion, and dissolution; it is strongly influenced by human activities. Wave energy associated with storms and tides erodes sediment and rock, and rising sea levels direct this energy further and further inland. The Atlantic coast of the United States represents 27% of US coastlines. This coast is eroding 2 to 3 feet per year. The Gulf Coast is eroding more rapidly, with an average erosion rate of 6 feet per year. Parts of the Louisiana coastline are eroding at an astounding rate of 50 feet per year. Shorelines erode when wave energy removes material at a faster rate than it is supplied by coastal deposition, and most of the coastal erosion is occurring in delicate low-lying wetlands and barrier islands. Within the past three decades, we have seen rising sea levels and increasing storm frequency and energy, all of which reshapes our coastlines. Scientists project increasing ocean temperatures and a 30cm rise above current sea levels by the year 2050 along the east coast, potentially inundating coastal cities and creating larger, more violent storms and much greater rates of erosion. I take an in-depth look at climate, sea level, and coastal erosion and discuss the impacts of projected sea level rise over the next 30 years.
Recommended Citation
Schuller, Elyssa, "Sea Level Rise and Coastal Erosion in the United States" (2023). 2023 Symposium. 37.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/res_2023/p2_2023/37
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Sea Level Rise and Coastal Erosion in the United States
PUB NCR
Coastal erosion is an ongoing process resulting from hydraulic pressure, abrasion, and dissolution; it is strongly influenced by human activities. Wave energy associated with storms and tides erodes sediment and rock, and rising sea levels direct this energy further and further inland. The Atlantic coast of the United States represents 27% of US coastlines. This coast is eroding 2 to 3 feet per year. The Gulf Coast is eroding more rapidly, with an average erosion rate of 6 feet per year. Parts of the Louisiana coastline are eroding at an astounding rate of 50 feet per year. Shorelines erode when wave energy removes material at a faster rate than it is supplied by coastal deposition, and most of the coastal erosion is occurring in delicate low-lying wetlands and barrier islands. Within the past three decades, we have seen rising sea levels and increasing storm frequency and energy, all of which reshapes our coastlines. Scientists project increasing ocean temperatures and a 30cm rise above current sea levels by the year 2050 along the east coast, potentially inundating coastal cities and creating larger, more violent storms and much greater rates of erosion. I take an in-depth look at climate, sea level, and coastal erosion and discuss the impacts of projected sea level rise over the next 30 years.
