Sea Level Rise: A Slow Tsunami on America's Shores

by Orrin H. Pilkey, Keith C Pilkey

The consequences of twenty-first-century sea level rise on the United States and its nearly 90,000 miles of shoreline will be immense: Miami and New Orleans will disappear; many nuclear and other power plants, hundreds of wastewater plants and toxic waste sites, and oil production facilities will be at risk; port infrastructures will need to be raised; and over ten million Americans fleeing rising seas will become climate refugees. In Sea Level Rise Orrin H. Pilkey and Keith C. Pilkey argue that the only feasible response along much of the U.S. shoreline is an immediate and managed retreat. Among many topics, they examine sea level rise's effects on coastal ecosystems, health, and native Alaskan coastal communities. They also provide guidelines for those living on the coasts or planning on moving to or away from them, as well as the steps local governments should take to prepare for this unstoppable, impending catastrophe.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Climate Change, Environment, Nature

208 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 2019

About the author

Orrin Hendren Pilkey Jr. was an American marine geologist who was Professor Emeritus of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, at Duke University, and founder and director emeritus of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS) based at Western Carolina University.

Reviews

[Woman Reading (is away exploring) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ☆

global climate change is a multiplier that will aggravate problems such as poverty, social tensions, environmental degradation, ineffectual leadership, and weak political institutions
- Defense Dept. 2016 report to Congress

America will not escape the effects of climate change. Everybody will in all likelihood be impacted in some way, whether it's from more extreme temperatures, rising food prices, or seeing climate refugees fleeing flooded areas. This short book, published in 2019, focused only on sea level rise in the US.

... we do not concern ourselves with the mechanics and causes of global sea level rise. It's already under way.

We accept that a 3-foot sea level rise by the year 2100 is a good possibility in the context of our current understanding... The current minimum sea level rise by 2100 is around 1 foot, and the maximum is 6 feet.

And as it turns out, the sea level rise poses sufficient dangers to merit an entire book. Not only the people who live on the ocean coastlines but also those who live in close proximity to tidal shorelines will be impacted. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tabulated 12,400 miles of America lie along the oceans while a whopping 88,600 miles comprise tidal shorelines. Water is essential to life, both biologically and economically, so these many miles (outside of Alaska) have been extensively developed and are inhabited. Depending on the actual sea level rise, current estimates anticipate from 4 to 13 million Americans will need to relocate.

Many of the residents along these 101,000 miles of shorelines have already received a terrifying indication of what's to come in future years. Some have been threatened because stronger hurricanes have brought and pushed water inland, and there have been unexpected side consequences. Hurricane Harvey (2017) led to 107 deaths and flooded the streets surrounding Houston's Texas Medical Center, which effectively isolated a functional hospital on an inaccessible island. Hurricane Maria (2017) not only killed an estimated 3,000 people but water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases prolonged health challenges in Puerto Rico.

I have viewed several documentaries about climate change so much of the material wasn't new. But reading these detailed chapters, all stemming from rising sea levels, was frightening, especially because the author assessed some of the current strategies. I hadn't thought about the increasing frequency of "tidal or sunny-day flooding," which is temporary flooding caused by high tides. I hadn't thought about how vital services might be adversely impacted from water inundation because they tend to be situated at sea level - from nuclear reactors to wastewater treatment facilities to telecommunications and internet infrastructure. I hadn't thought about how some "solutions" are entirely inadequate because of previous political fallout. Case in point is the poorly managed national flood insurance program which depends upon obsolete flood maps. By the end of the book, the author's frustration with the climate-change denial evinced by many local and state governments is palpable. Orrin Pilkey believes in what he has written, as he included advice that he had dispensed to his relatives about their home purchasing decisions.

Although readers based in the US will derive the most benefit from reading this book, others can still learn about various mitigation strategies and determine the efficacy of these for their home countries.

[Lin F · Rating 4 out of 5]

An NPR Best Book of 2019. I was a little unsure at first, the book almost appeared to be a very slim textbook, but the color photographs were helpful, the tables and charts were informative, and the text was well written. It was hard not to stop on each page and share something that I had just read with other family members. I already have two people who want to read it next.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the authors repeatedly state - if you can see the sea, the sea can seize you.

And it doesn't matter if you personally believe that global warming was and is being caused by human intervention or if you believe that the warming trend is a natural reversal from the 'Little Ice Age' of the 15th through 19th century, sea level is rising and basically there is nothing that humans can do to stop it. Unless of course, you believe the human impact and then all that can be done is stop dumping aerosols and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere but it won't stop what is occurring. It may slow but it will not stop. Well, maybe in a few hundred years or so it might.

The authors look not only at the future of our shorelines but what has been done in the past to preserve the sandy beaches as the high tides creep closer to American homes. Governmental subsidized flood insurance needs to change - to actually have the cost be realistic. And to not have repeated payouts as a damaged property needs to be rebuilt again and again and again.

Then there is a harsh look at what some coastal cities are going to experience especially since they are not preparing for the inevitable. It's going to be a matter of controlled and managed retreat from the shores or a flood of refugees fleeing the rising seas and oceans. New Orleans will disappear as well as Miami. Norfolk and it's military ports, parts of Seattle and hundreds of barrier islands. Nuclear power plants, constructed close to the coast in order to utilize nearby water to keep the fuel cool, will instead be flooded with toxic, nuclear waste contaminating stretches of coastline. The sea water effects on the coastal communities especially the vast stretches of Alaska where native inhabited towns will vanish beneath the waves.

The book ends with some blunt advice from the authors: if you live in these areas, to be prepared to leave. To lose your property's value and to be forced to evacuate? Perhaps your home is built on an elevated area but what about the access roads? What about the sewer treatment centers? Energy generation? Potable water? If it's a well, the likelihood of the water eventually being contaminated with salt water is quite high. And just because projected sea level rise is "only" a foot for your area, that does not include high tides, storm surges and excessive rainfall.

It is seriously time for humans to take a hard look at our fascination and desire for beachfront homes and property and see that is being foretold.
2021-022

[Ron Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read recently. It talks about the sea level rise, but doesn't argue whether global warming is man made or part of a cycle. It talks about what is happening to coastal areas, the beaches and homes we are losing to oceans levels rising and what the future holds when the oceans rise from 3 to 6 feet. How one of the solutions that is inevitable is that people will have to move to higher ground, beaches will be destroyed and some cities will eventually be under water - Miami, New Orleans etc. The water will win. A book for all to read, especially those living close to the cost.

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pilkeys (elder and younger) have put together a remarkable introductory text on sea level rise in the United States. It is focused, written for the general reader, and very earnest. None of these mean that it will be widely read, but it should be.

[Jonathan Hunsberger]

It's good to understand what's coming. 3ft (or whatever depending on when we're talking about) sea level rise is so abstract. This book breaks it down into practical implications.

I had to take a break from it while mentally processing the pandemic. Now i'm finally at a point where I could finish it. Long-term existential dread is still there but it seems much less powerful now with short-term societal upheaval looming.

[Shrike58 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The reality is that I've already picked up a lot of the points the authors make by (dare I say it) osmosis, but if one is looking for a nuts-and-bolts examination of the issues of living by the sea in 21st century America you could do a lot worse than this booklet, which is aimed at the average American homeowner, small businessman, and tax payer. The long-term picture is that many large urban communities in coastal areas are going to be submerged (particularly in Florida); that shouldn't be news at this point. However, the medium-term issue is the inundation of vulnerable infrastructure (roads, harbors, industrial installations, etc.), and that is probably where the United States as a society is really going to get caught out.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good broad overview of the impacts of sea level rise on the US. Main takeaway is that there are natural processes that happen as a response to SLR, but due to coastal development and engineered solutions, these natural processes cannot happen, compounding the effects that SLR will have on many areas. Would love to read a deeper dive into many of these topics.

[skid · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a methodical look at the effects and perils of sea level rise and what can be done about it - and I found that it was more organized than “Retreat From A Rising Sea”, the previous entry in this series. As someone who is conducting academic research, I found this book to be invaluable, though I wish the writing style was more entertaining.

[Dylan Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very clear, concise, and thorough explanation of how sea levels threaten so much of life as we know it. The "slow tsunami" is a turn of phrase that ought to be used ubiquitously when discussing the impending effects of climate change.

[Angela]

“…Miami exhibits a lack of political will to even recognize the gravity of the problems that rising seas bring.”

“In fact, in all reality, there may be no long-term solutions to the salvation of South Florida communities.”

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information. A bit repetitive, but I think we need to hear this message multiple times anyway. This also effectively killed my dream of one day owning a beach house.

[Avery Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great intro to the challenges presented by sea level rise.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly informative and thought-provoking, and breaks down climate science in a digestible way. Definitely could be more engaging though; very little narrative in the book.