NOAA Report: High Tide Flooding Could Be More Frequent

NATIONWIDE — High tide flooding has generally been occurring with more frequency in the United States, though the environmental phenomenon has been less problematic in California and the Pacific Northwest, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report published in early March. “Patterns and Projections of High Tide Flooding Along the U.S. Coastline Using a Common Impact Threshold,” a NOAA Technical Report, stated high tide flooding is currently an issue for low-lying infrastructures, such as harbors, beaches and roads. Cities across the United States – including San Diego – are being exposed to high tide flooding events due to rising relative sea level, the report’s authors stated. NOAA, through tidal gauges placed along the entire U.S. coastline, measured a rapid change in the annual frequencies of high tide flooding, according to the agency’s report. Such flooding could have an adverse effect on local harbors and waterfront property. “Due to rising relative sea level, more and more cities are becoming increasingly exposed and ever more vulnerable to high tide flooding, which is rapidly increasing in frequency, depth and extent along many U.S. coastlines,” the NOAA report stated. “Today, high tide flooding is likely more disruptive (a nuisance) than damaging. The cumulative effects, however,...