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

“A scientifically credible and highly readable account of what is likely the greatest threat to Florida’s environment, economy, and culture over the coming decades.”—Reed F. Noss, author of Forgotten Grasslands of the South
 
“Every Floridian should read this book. It is the clearest and most readable description of how and why the sea level changes and what the future has in store for us.”—Orrin H. Pilkey, coauthor of Global Climate Change: A Primer
 
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.
 
 

Albert C. Hine, professor of geological oceanography in the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida, is the author of A Geological History of Florida. Don P. Chambers is associate professor of physical oceanography in the College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida. Tonya D. Clayton is the author of How to Read a Florida Gulf Coast Beach. Mark R. Hafen is assistant director and senior instructor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of South Florida. Gary T. Mitchum is the associate dean for research for the College of Marine Science and professor of physical oceanography at the University of South Florida, as well as former director of the University of Hawaii Sea Level Center.