People walk on the Port Angeles City Pier on Monday. A report released Monday predicts sea level rise of 1.5 feet to 3 feet in the Pacific Northwest by 2100. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

People walk on the Port Angeles City Pier on Monday. A report released Monday predicts sea level rise of 1.5 feet to 3 feet in the Pacific Northwest by 2100. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

Report shows detailed projections for Washington rising seas

  • By Wire Service
  • Tuesday, July 31, 2018 2:12pm
  • News

By Phuong Le

The Associated Press

SEATTLE — A new report provides the most detailed projections for how fast sea levels are expected to rise along Washington state shorelines over the next decades.

The projections released Monday show what to expect at 171 sites in Puget Sound and along the state’s outer coast as sea levels rise due to global warming. The information is more local and specific than previous assessments.

Scientists with Washington Sea Grant and the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group calculated the likelihood that sea levels will reach or exceed a certain level for each location and under different greenhouse gas scenarios.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Harriet Morgan, a research consultant at UW Climate Impacts Group and report co-author, said previous projections for the state have been “too zoomed out to be useful.”

Now, local planners and others can click on a map and download estimates for their locations.

“Because we zoomed in, we captured local variations and land movement along the coast,” she said.

“This is something that we heard from local decision makers. We need numbers that are specific for our communities and local areas.”

Sea level rise is caused by warming of the ocean and melting from glaciers and ice sheets.

Washington has more than 3,000 miles of coastline. Rising sea level is a concern because it can increase the risk of flooding, storm surges, coastal bluff and shoreline erosion and loss of wetlands or other habitat.

It can also damage roads and buildings and impact fisheries.

The estimates give a full range of possible future sea level changes, allowing planners to weigh the risks of different scenarios as they locate hospitals, roads or septic tanks.

The report incorporates the latest science and takes into account variations in the estimated land movement, whether land is sinking or uplifting, in each location.

“There are places in Washington state and elsewhere the land is uplifting and that will counteract absolute sea level change. And there are places that are subsiding,” said Ian Miller, a coastal hazards specialist at Washington Sea Grant who co-authored the report.

Areas such as Neah Bay are estimated to be uplifting, or rising, and have lower projected changes in sea level compared to areas of central Puget Sound, including Seattle, that are sinking.

In general, most communities are expected to see between 2 feet and 3 feet by 2100 under a scenario where greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, Miller said.

By 2100 in Seattle, sea level is projected to rise between 1.7 feet and 3.1 feet under a scenario where greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise over time. Meanwhile, by 2100, sea level is estimated to rise between 1 feet and 2.6 feet in Taholah and 1.3 feet to 2.7 feet in Bellingham.

“This finer level of detail allows us to do better planning,” said Jim Parvey, chief sustainability officer for the city of Tacoma, who is working with the authors to incorporate the projections into city planning.

“We’re trying to get our minds around the problem and figure out how to build infrastructure that’s going to last. We need to do our best to guess what the conditions are going to be like in the future that we have to cope with,” he said.

The report is part of the three-year Washington Coastal Resilience Project to help communities prepare for natural events that threaten the coast due to rising sea levels.

More in News

Shannon Story of Port Angeles, an employee of ACI construction in Tacoma, directs traffic on Water Street in Port Townsend on Wednesday as heavy equipment is jostled around the job site. The company is replacing a 100-year-old sewer pipeline with larger and stronger materials. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
Sewer replacement

Shannon Story of Port Angeles, an employee of ACI construction in Tacoma,… Continue reading

Jefferson closer to facilities district

Public hearing could take place March 10

Federal, state cuts could have impact at Clallam Transit

General manager says agency has ‘good reserve’

Three fish passage projects to impact traffic

WSDOT says there will be an 80-day detour

Firefighters extinguish porch fire in Port Angeles

A back porch of a Port Angeles home caught… Continue reading

Port Angeles School Board to interview semi-finalists for superintendent

The Port Angeles School District board has selected five… Continue reading

The ferry MV Coho backs into its landing after returning to Port Angeles on Tuesday following annual dry dock and maintenance in Anacortes. During the maintenance period, extensive work was performed on the dock, including replacement of a wing wall used to steer and secure the vessel during loading and unloading of cars and passengers. The ferry is scheduled to resume daily service between Port Angeles and Victoria on Thursday. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Coho returns

The ferry MV Coho backs into its landing after returning to Port… Continue reading

Building association calls for city to cease utility charges

Association says charges unconstitutional

Jefferson Land Trust considering conservation burial ground

Funds from plot sales could fund habitat improvements

Port Angeles artist Bob Stokes sits in his studio and music venue on Wednesday. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Art community mourns Bob Stokes’ passing

Legacy includes statues, concerts, gatherings

Clallam PUD
Cindy Kimble, Clallam PUD’s customer and community outreach programs coordinator, can help residents navigate the utility district’s revamped low-income energy assistance program.
Clallam PUD hires staff to help low-income customers

Clallam County Public Utility District has overhauled its low-income energy… Continue reading

Jen Colmore, left, and June Nichols of the Sequim Food Bank serve a sample of chili to Monica Dixon of Sequim during Saturday’s Community Chili Cookoff at the Sequim Boys & Girls Club. The event, organized by the club and Boy Scout Troop 90, showcased the culinary skills of six community organizations with each group receiving a share of the proceeds and the winner taking a $500 prize. The food bank’s chili recipe took top honors in the competition. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
Chili cookoff

Jen Colmore, left, and June Nichols of the Sequim Food Bank serve… Continue reading