CHAPTER 1 

 INTRODUCTION 



Sea level can be expected to rise substantially throughout 

 the coming decades as a result of a global warming caused by 

 rising concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide,^/ methane, 

 nitrous oxide, and chlorof luorocarbons. The anticipated sea 

 level rise would increase coastal erosion and flooding; 

 groundwater tables would rise; and saltwater would intrude 

 into rivers, bays, and aquifers.^/ 



Most coastal planners and decision makers are not considering 

 the effects of sea level rise. Consequently, facilities are 

 being located without adequate consideration of the costs of 

 protecting them from erosion, flooding, or storm waves; important 

 environmental protection decisions are being based on inadequate 

 assessments of their future effectiveness; and entire communities 

 are being planned without adequate consideration of the 

 coastal works that will be necessary to protect their physical 

 infrastructures and capital investments .3/ Decision makers 

 and technical personnel need estimates of sea level rise to 

 evaluate the vulnerability of their decisions to changing risks. 



A tremendous reserve of knowledge has been accumulated by 

 natural and social scientists about the factors that will 

 determine sea level rise - population growth, climatic change, 

 oceanic heat absorption, glacial discharge, and atmospheric 

 composition. This study uses that knowledge to project low and 



