Sea-Level Rise
— by Jeffrey Wisniewski — 8 April 2009 — Comments Off
The San Francisco Chronicle reported last month on a new study by the Pacific Institute that documents the effect of sea-level rise on the California coastline… “Nearly half a million people and $100 billion in property, two-thirds of it concentrated around the bay, are at risk of major flooding, researchers found in the most comprehensive study to date of how climate change will alter the state’s coastal areas.”
The study — which has been mentioned during the Refugio Creek Watershed Vision Plan meetings — includes maps that exhibit potential harm to the lower-lying areas of Hercules…
The accompanying explanation says the blue areas are currently at-risk, and the magenta areas will be at-risk following an assumed 1.4-meter rise in sea-level…
The map shows the inundation of lower Refugio Creek and adjacent wetlands which should be expected during flooding. The inundation of Pinole Creek appears to pose a significant risk to nearby residences. The map does not include future grades that will exist following planned development activities, so the effects along the shoreline could be considered inconclusive. However, the railroad tracks seem to be directly harmed by the assumed sea-level rise, and it would be pragmatic for Union Pacific to consider this in their designs for the track realignment related to the future intermodal station. (But knowing UPRR, they won’t. They’ll opt to do something more destructive later.)
It should be noted that — as a whole — the problems that will affect Hercules are a blip on the radar of the existing risk facing the North Bay…
Images: Pacific Institute