Table of Contents

Sea-Level Rise & Global Climate Change: A Review of Impacts to U.S. Coasts

Foreword      ii

Executive Summary     iii

I. Introduction   1

II. Review of Factors Affecting the Vulnerability of the U.S. Coastal Zone   3

A. Geographic Characteristics   4
B. Development, Demographic, and Storm Damage Trends   5
C. Ecological Services and Diversity   7

III. Summary of Key Concepts in the Science of Sea-Level Rise
           Assessment   8

A. Historical Rates of Relative Sea-Level Rise in the United States   9
B. Projections of Global Sea-Level Rise over the Next Century   11

IV. Physical Impacts of Climate Change on Coastal Resources   14

A. Assessing Impacts of Relative Sea-Level Rise   14
B. Effects of Catastrophic Melting   15
C. Potential Changes in Storm Intensity, Frequency, and Track   16

V. Human Response and Adaptation to Coastal Threats   17

A. Hard Structure Protection   18
B. Soft Protection   19
C. Accommodation and Planned Retreat   20

VI. Economic Impacts of Sea-Level Rise on Coastal Properties and
             Wetlands   22

A. The Economic Cost to Developed Property   22
B. Wetlands Assessment   28
C. Impacts of Recreation Losses   29
D. Implications for Future Assessments   29

VI. Conclusions   31

Endnotes   33

References   34