We can’t immediately link Hurricane Sandy itself to climate change, says climate scientist Cynthia Rosenzweig, but the flooding damage we can. Partly due to global warming, sea level has climbed about a foot in the NYC area over the past century, giving storm surges a “step up” along the coast.
The arrival of Hurricane Isabel in 2003 flooded the retirement home of a Chesapeake Bay couple. With sea level around the Chesapeake Bay rising faster than the global average, how are coastal residents planning for change?
Rhode Island's coasts are already feeling the impacts of rising seas. The Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council and Rhode Island Sea Grant are working with the legislature to explicitly address sea level rise and climate change in the state's building code.