Rising sea level already eating away at Florida's coastline
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Material Information

Title:
Rising sea level already eating away at Florida's coastline
Series Title:
St Petersburg Times
Creator:
Krueger, Curtis
Pittman, Craig
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climate Change ( lcsh )
Florida ( lcsh )
Sea Level Rise ( lcsh )
Coastlines ( lcsh )

Notes

Abstract:
Global warming is boosting the sea level along Florida's gulf coast and already causing profound environmental changes, scientists say. • At Waccasassa State Park in Levy County, palms trees are toppling over dead as rising saltwater creeps up the beach. • At Rookery Bay Preserve near Naples, saltwater mangroves have invaded what used to be freshwater marshes. • On the western side of Everglades National Park, inland marshes are being replaced by seawater ponds. "People have a hard time accepting that this is happening here," said University of Florida professor Jack Putz, who has led a Levy County research effort since 1992. Seeing the dying palms, he said, "brings a global problem right into our own back yard." What is happening is not just a minor botanical alteration in a few isolated places . The scientists studying the phenomenon see it as a harbinger for major changes in the state's geography — submerging islands and turning swamps into open bays. Those changes alone can create a serious economic impact on businesses such as fishing. The rising sea generally has crept up so slowly that it has been barely noticeable. In the Tampa Bay area, for instance, "we've actually seen an increase of about an inch a decade" since measurements began in the 1940s, said Holly Greening, executive director of the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. Now, the rate at which the sea level is rising appears to be picking up speed. The sea level's rise is often difficult to detect along urban coastlines because se awalls and replenished beaches can obscure or blunt the impact, said Mike Savarese, a Florida Gulf Coast University marine science prof essor. But the changes wrought by higher seas are more obvious in wilderness areas such as state and national parks. In those natural areas, "we're seeing some real indications of a change out there," Savarese said. ( English )

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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Aggregations:
Sea Level Rise
Florida Documents Collection