The New York Times this week reported that oceanographers believe “developed low-lying shorelines” such as San Francisco’s Embarcadero face “a possible rise of 14 inches in sea level by 2050” — just under 40 years from now.
It’s not uncommon to read scientists’ predictions about rising sea levels and the crises they could cause. But to many non-scientists, the practical consequences of such climate alterations are fuzzy. If the oceanographers cited in the Times are correct, our own American shores face a transformative alteration in the immediate future. But just how dramatic would a 14-inch sea level rise be? And how would we see its effects in our everyday lives?