Sea Level Rise in Florida: Science, Impacts, and Options

Sea levels are rising-globally and in Florida. Climatologists, geologists, oceanographers, and the overwhelming majority of the scientific community expect a continuation of this trend for centuries to come. While Florida’s natural history indicates that there is nothing new about the changing elevation of the sea, what is new-and alarming-is the combination of the rising seas and the ever-growing, immobile human infrastructure near the coasts: high-rise condos, suburban developments, tourist meccas, and international metropolises. The stakes are particularly high in Florida, where much of the landscape is already topographically low and underlain by permeable limestone. Modern-day sea-level rise poses unprecedented challenges for sustainability, urban planning, and political action. Sea Level Rise in Florida offers an in-depth examination of the rise and fall of sea levels in the past and the science behind the current data, both measured and projected. The authors also discuss ongoing and potential consequences for natural marine and coastal systems and how we can begin to plan strategically for the inevitable changes.