People love the Golden State because of the coastline. There are all sorts of songs about the vibe California embodies think California Gurls by Katy Perry, Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and California Love by 2Pac.
But the ocean's response to climate change is threatening that very identity.
"It's part of what you often hear described as being Californian, said Christine Whitcraft, director of Cal State Long Beach's Environmental Science and Policy program. Threats from sea level rise are important for economics, but they're also important for the intrinsic value they have to us as Californians."
She says sea level rise is on the minds of leaders across the state because people have started to see impacts in their daily lives or in their yearly time frame.
Thats led to an increased awareness at the personal level, which translates to an increase in awareness to the state and policy level, said Whitcraft.
The sea could rise by half a foot by 2030 and as much as seven feet by the end of the century, according to a high-level report from the state's Legislative Analysts Office. That could have a huge impact on the millions of Californians who live along the coast.
We could lose two-thirds of our beaches absent any action, said Rachel Ehlers, a principal fiscal and policy analyst with the LAO. She is also the lead author of the report intended to guide lawmakers in 2020 as they prepare budgets and create bill.
"It's not just wealthy people who will be impacted, said Ehlers. There's a lot of vulnerable communities that have a lot of folks with lower incomes, folks who don't have cars. So, they may not be able to get out when there's flooding.
"The researchers also found a gap in how the state wants to address sea level rise and how localities are dealing with it. Ehlers says finding funding at the local level can be tough because the full effects of sea level rise wont be seen for years.
There are many communities around the state that are planning, but very few that have moved on to the phase of taking action, said Ehlers. We need to do that both because the water is coming, but also this is a key time to test out strategies.
Mark Stacey is an environmental engineer at UC Berkeley who studies sea level rise in the Bay Area. He says the reason there is so much talk about sea level rise in the state right now is because more storm events coupled with gradual sea level rise are happening more often.
This makes the risk of disruption more real for people and has them realize we have to stop and do something about this, said Stacey. For instance, he says the highest high tides in the San Francisco Bay disrupts traffic half a dozen times a year instead of once or twice a year.
Are we ready today? No. But are the right conversations happening to get ready? Id say yes.
Partnering To Prepare
There are places that are preparing for the surge in the coming decades. Some are working across city and county boundaries to prepare regionally, which the LAO report recommends.
But Ehlers, with the LAO, says there is a lack of forums or partnerships taking place around the state.
We know that sea level rise wont stop at the city or county line, she said. In fact, what actions one city takes might negatively influence their neighbors. If one city puts up a lot of sea walls, that waters going to slosh over to the neighboring jurisdiction and erode all the beaches over there.
Leaders in San Mateo County south of San Francisco with the Bay on one side and the open ocean on the other want to prevent that very scenario from taking place.
Our county is the most exposed county in the entire state in terms of value of property at risk, said San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine. We have tremendous exposure on the Bay side, and on the coast side we are already seeing very significant coastal erosion, which threatens infrastructure.
Pine says the county has modeled out what three feet of sea level rise means.
That would cause upwards of $40 billion in losses to property," he said. "In San Mateo everything east of Highway 101 would be inundated. It would be a massive blow to the county.
Thats why San Mateo County is planning ahead. Pine says there are lots of projects in the works to prevent big issues with sea level rise, including 10 miles of levees at San Francisco International Airport.
The county and 20 cities in San Mateo have formed a partnership the Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District to protect the region from the negative impacts of sea level rise. It goes into effect January 2020.
The thinking is that no single jurisdiction can deal with this by itself and we need to position ourselves to compete for state funds, said Pine.
Theres an awful lot of shoreline to protect and we still have a lot of work to do.
Working 'Generation To Generation'
Sea level rise doesnt lend itself to one type of solution or masterplan. Levees near one community, moving people from where water will rise or building sea walls near another arent universal answers, said Pine.
We have put so much carbon into the air and we will see seas rise for centuries to come, said Pine. Its impossible to know at what rate they will rise, but we will have to work on this from generation to generation.
Pine admits that humans arent very good at taking action to prevent problems until the issue becomes severe. But waiting means the costs would greatly exceed that of planning and preparing for sea level rise.
On the coast near Long Beach Christine Whitcraft, director of CSULBs Environmental Science and Policy program, is experimenting by creating beds of California native Olympia oysters and sea grass to make a living shoreline.
CSULB scientists are experimenting with adding beds of oysters and sea grass to help reduce the erosion of the shoreline. Close-up (left) and aerial photo (right) of oyster beds in Southern California. Courtesy of Danielle Zacherl (left) and Nick Sadrpour (right)
She says the patches of oysters help reduce shoreline erosion by holding down the mud it sits on and helps protect the land behind it from storm surges and waves.
I dont think oysters or eel grass alone can prevent all the damage to the communities behind it, but I think they are part of the solution, Whitcraft said.
She also has her students take pictures of where sea water floods parts of the coast when high tides occur. For them, she says, the idea that the sea is already inundating places they often visit was surprising.
To help the public understand how sea level rise could inundate their communities the city of Santa Cruz is offering virtual reality simulations at a local library. (Check out his NPR article for more).
We look at the three different areas and as you pull sliders to the right you see the sea level rise inundating our low-level areas, said Tiffany West, the citys Sustainability and Climate Action Manager. It allows you to get a real understanding of where the water would go.
The product is only available on-site, but West says an app of the project will be available in six months.
What people dont realize is that we are already experiencing these impacts, especially during King Tide situations, West said. A lot of this discussion is so abstract around sea level rise that this makes it much more concrete.
A similar project is in progress for Long Beach where a strip of beach homes is at risk.
We also developed a card game called Cards Against Catastrophe its really meant to give residents a feel for tradeoffs and decision-making local leaders face, said West.
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Visit link:
- High Seas Forecast (Tropical Atlantic) - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- U.S. High Seas Marine Text Forecasts by Area - December 10th, 2016 [December 10th, 2016]
- Global High Seas Marine Preserve A non-profit dedicted ... - February 2nd, 2017 [February 2nd, 2017]
- New centre for high seas visitors in Angus - The Courier - The Courier - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Naval Presence on High Seas Underscored - Financial Tribune - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Pirates Face Push Back On The High Seas - American Media Institute - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Queen Mary 2 to Host High Fashion on the High Seas - Cruise Hive - Cruise Hive - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Nigeria Rescues Oil Tanker From High-Seas Pirates - OilPrice.com - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Cabin cam shows the hilarious frustration of rolling on the high seas - Pickle - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Ransomware Gangs Have Become the High-Seas Pirates of the Internet - On the Wire (blog) - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Suspect in high-seas homicides hospitalized, putting case on hold - Sacramento Bee - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Gargrave Pantomime Group hit the high seas with Sinbad the Sailor - Craven Herald - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Sailing the high seas: Top cruises for first-timers, families and excursions in 2017 - Malay Mail Online - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- The Cold War returns to the high seas (opinion) - CNN.com - CNN - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- All aboard for Cosplay on the high seas, Latest Travel News - The ... - The New Paper - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- The Cold War returns to the high seas - CNN International - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- Star-Studded Broadway on the High Seas 8 Sets Sail Feb. 17 - Playbill.com - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'The internet is like the high seas' - Deutsche Welle - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Sailing the high seas - Fiji Times - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- In Dramatic High Seas Rescue, Four Fishermen Rescued By Good Samaritans Off Galveston, Texas, Coast - Patch.com - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Greg McQuade discovers life on the high seas aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower - wtvr.com - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Escape to the high seas at the National Aviary - NEXTpittsburgh - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Ocean Prediction Center-Coastal, Offshore and High Seas ... - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- Lagerstein hitting the high seas for Rum City - Bundaberg News Mail - February 23rd, 2017 [February 23rd, 2017]
- Scapa Flow German High Seas Fleet scrap sites explored - The ... - The Orcadian - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Two boats towed in harbor in high seas - Cayman Compass - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Take to the high seas with Condor Sailing Adventures - Pensacola News Journal - February 25th, 2017 [February 25th, 2017]
- Aging high-seas murder suspect out of hospital and back in court - Sacramento Bee - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Masters of the waves talk of high seas, thrills & spills - The New Indian Express - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- Campbell River Sea Cadet off to England to hit the high seas - Campbell River Mirror - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Survival on the high seas (From The Northern Echo) - The Northern Echo (registration) - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Industry 4.0 on the High Seas - MarineLink - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- New Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Trailer Brings Us More Action On The High Seas! - LRM Online (press release) (blog) - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Eco-warriors meet government authority on Ballina's high seas - Echonetdaily - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Tech on the high seas: Fred Olsen IT chief chats cloud, connectivity and security - www.v3.co.uk - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Why newbie Drusilla is preparing for life on the high seas - The Wharf - The Wharf - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Bhang Travel Inc. Brings Cannabis Networking to the High Seas - PR Web (press release) - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Drama on the high seas: East Kilbride couple reveal dramatic rescue after boat sinks in Gulf - Scottish Daily Record - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Journey through the high seas - The Standard - March 10th, 2017 [March 10th, 2017]
- French, Irish yacht sailors survive high seas off Australia's coast - TRT World - March 10th, 2017 [March 10th, 2017]
- 3 Digital Marketing Lessons From a Lawyer Focused on the High Seas - Entrepreneur - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Captain Cannonball sails the high seas as a pirate - Destin.com - Destin Log and Walton Log - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- No clean boats on the high seas | Kochi News - Times of India - Times of India - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Trekr Racing makes its debut on the high seas - Washington Blade - Washington Blade - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Real 'Pirate Women' On The High Seas Of Old | On Point - WBUR - WBUR - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Cruise Operators Continue to Hide Behind the Death on the High ... - Cruise Law News - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Cruise ship crime: Who's in charge of law and order on the high seas? - Star2.com - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Footprints: PERIL ON THE HIGH SEAS - DAWN.com - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- You can gamble on the high seas out of Galveston, but it might not always be smooth sailing - Rare.us - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- An Energy Shock from the High Seas - Wall Street Journal (subscription) - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Navy dispatched 52 flotillas to high seas in 8 years - Mehr News Agency - English Version - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Barker and Team Japan ruling the high seas - Royal Gazette - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Hitting The High Seas: US LNG Finds A Home - Seeking Alpha - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- A U-Boat Strikes and Terror Follows on the High Seas - New York Times - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- HOPE LARSON and REBECCA MOCK Hit the High Seas with KNIFE'S EDGE - Newsarama - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- Geopolitics On The High Seas And In Today's Headlines | On Point - WBUR - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- World Oceans Day Comes at a Critical Time for High Seas - Natural Resources Defense Council - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- High seas force Durban beaches closure | Berea Mail - Berea Mail - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- African states band together to defeat crime on high seas | News24 - News24 - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Handmade boat for the high seas - New Straits Times Online - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- High Seas, High "C"s: "The Little Mermaid," at the Prospect Park Auditorium through June 18 - River Cities Reader - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- 'Skull & Bones' takes open world online gaming to the high seas - Engadget - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- The Electric, Driverless Revolution Is About to Hit the High Seas ... - Bloomberg - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- Brazil Gets Ready to Fight on the High Seas and Sets Aside US$ 1.8 Bi for New Warships - Brazzil.com - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Skull and Bones is pure high seas sailing fun from Ubisoft - Critical Hit - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Disney PhotoPass coming to capture your high-seas adventure on Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom - Inside the Magic - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Coast Guard unloads 18 tons of cocaine seized on the high seas - The San Diego Union-Tribune - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- High seas inspire collection - Royal Gazette - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- High Yields on the High Seas | Equities.com - Equities.com - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Spectacle on the high seas: The best boat races in the Caribbean - USA TODAY - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Taking the Fight to the High Seas with the Dutch Royal Navy - MMORPG.com (press release) (registration) (blog) - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- Big waves close coastal walkway, but some still brave stormy seas - Taranaki Daily News - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Seniors make waves with high-seas whodunit - Simi Valley Acorn - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- High seas adventures at the Hannibal Aquatic Center - Hannibal.net - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Come See the Value Opportunities I Saw on the High Seas - TheStreet.com - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- High seas adventures at the Hannibal Aquatic Center - Columbia Daily Tribune - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Slovenia wins battle with Croatia over high seas access - BBC News - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Arbitration panel grants Slovenia access to high seas - Fox News - July 2nd, 2017 [July 2nd, 2017]
- High Seas Governance Must Take Account of Existing IMO Framework - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- An app to track missing people on high seas - Times of India - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]