Impact Analyses

To understand vulnerability to climate change it is important to determine the potential impacts to coastal resources and communities. Effective management requires understanding both current conditions and projected future conditions. Analysis in this section focus on sea level rise related flooding, which is a significant issue in Virginia’s coastal plain and is predicted to become worse in the future. The risk of economic and resource loss due to recurrent flooding is not equivalent in all coastal zones. Human development and natural geomorphic setting both drive sea level rise vulnerability.

Want to know how sea level in your area is changing due to global warming and other factors? See this series of web-based “Sea-Level Report Cards” for localities along the U.S. East, Gulf, and West coasts. Our report cards have three components: the 2050 projection, recent trends in the rates of sea-level change, and an explanation of processes affecting sea level at each locality.