An analysis of tidal levels and flood data by the news organization Reuters concludes that flooding has increased along the Eastern Seaboard over the past four decades.
During that period, the number of days a year that tidal waters reached or exceeded National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flood thresholds more than tripled in many places. The trend roughly tracks a global rise in sea levels, with an average rise of 8 inches in the past century, according to the 2014 National Climate Assessment.
At flood threshold, water begins pool on streets. If it rises beyond that point, it can close roads, damage property, and overwhelm drainage systems. Since 2001, water has reached flood levels an average of 20 days or more a year in Annapolis, Maryland; Wilmington, North Carolina; Washington, D.C.; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Sandy Hook, New Jersey; and Charleston, South Carolina. Before 1971, none of those locations averaged more than five days a year of flooding.
Reuters’s analysis was based on more than 25 million hourly tide-gauge readings from nearly 70 sites on the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coasts and a comparison of that data to NOAA flood thresholds. Reuters then narrowed the analysis to 25 gauges with data spanning at least 50 years. The organization plans to publish a more in-depth examination of rising sea levels later this year.
(http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/10/us-usa-sealevel-flood-idUSKBN0FF20220140710)
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jun 1, 2020
How owners should comply with OSHA roofing safety guidelines
Buildings should have fall protection and restraint provisions for those who go on roofs.
Codes and Standards | May 29, 2020
AIA releases new, updated sustainable project documents
Streamlined sustainable design and construction process included.
Codes and Standards | May 28, 2020
USGBC outlines how it will support pandemic recovery efforts
Includes emergency guidance and upgrades to the LEED green building program.
Codes and Standards | May 27, 2020
Office market could be COVID-19 casualty
As companies get used to work at home, post-pandemic office market could collapse.
Codes and Standards | May 26, 2020
Architectural Reuse Council will step up efforts to reuse construction waste
Cabinets, appliances, lighting, and lumber diverted from landfills to be repurposed.
Codes and Standards | May 26, 2020
Is CLT really a green solution?
Sustainability depends upon forest stewardship, product manufacturing process.
Codes and Standards | May 20, 2020
St. Louis is first Midwest city to pass building energy performance standard
Allows owners broad flexibility on how to achieve goals.
Codes and Standards | May 20, 2020
Supreme Court says Georgia cannot copyright its entire official code
Ruling may have implications for other states claiming copyright for building codes.
Codes and Standards | May 18, 2020
Strategies to reduce personal contact in multifamily properties
Design can improve health amid COVID-19 pandemic.
Codes and Standards | May 18, 2020
Canada Green Building Council says building industry lacks zero-carbon skills, knowledge
Net-zero target requires shift in thinking and practices.