The NASA study is a warning that "nuisance floods" could become frequent fixtures across U.S. coastlines in the next decade.
Nuisance floods occur on coastlines when high tide levels exceed two feet above the norm, causing significant local flooding.
In 2019, close to 600 of these types of floods occurred in the U.S.
But the new NASA-led study predicts an increased frequency of nuisance floods of between three to four times that number.
According to the study, this is likely to begin as soon as the 2030s.
The increase will be due to several factors, including the rise in sea levels due to human-influenced climate change as well as a particular cycle of the moon's 18.6-year orbit around the Earth that causes higher tides across the board.
"[High-tide flooding will move] from a regional issue to a national issue with a majority of U.S. coastlines
being affected." NASA-led Study Authors, via Live Science.
"If it floods 10 or 15 times a month, a business can't keep operating with its parking lot under water. People lose their jobs because they can't get to work. Seeping cesspools become a public health issue." Phil Thompson, Assistant Professor University of Hawaii, via Live Science.
The authors of the study recommend that planning measures begin now in order to mitigate the worst effects of the increase in nuisance floods.
Nuisance floods occur on coastlines when high tide levels exceed two feet above the norm, causing significant local flooding.
In 2019, close to 600 of these types of floods occurred in the U.S.
But the new NASA-led study predicts an increased frequency of nuisance floods of between three to four times that number.
According to the study, this is likely to begin as soon as the 2030s.
The increase will be due to several factors, including the rise in sea levels due to human-influenced climate change as well as a particular cycle of the moon's 18.6-year orbit around the Earth that causes higher tides across the board.
"[High-tide flooding will move] from a regional issue to a national issue with a majority of U.S. coastlines
being affected." NASA-led Study Authors, via Live Science.
"If it floods 10 or 15 times a month, a business can't keep operating with its parking lot under water. People lose their jobs because they can't get to work. Seeping cesspools become a public health issue." Phil Thompson, Assistant Professor University of Hawaii, via Live Science.
The authors of the study recommend that planning measures begin now in order to mitigate the worst effects of the increase in nuisance floods.
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