Dramatic Impact Of Sea-Level Rise On Chesapeake Bay’s Coastal Habitats

ScienceDaily


Coastal habitats in the Chesapeake Bay region, near Washington D.C., will be dramatically altered if sea levels rise globally about two feet by the end of the century, which is at the low end of what is predicted if global warming pollution remains unaddressed.

Under this scenario, the region would lose:

● More than 167,000 acres of undeveloped dry land

● 58% of beaches along ocean coasts

● 69% of estuarine beaches along the bay

● 161,000 acres of brackish marsh

● More than half of the region