Sea level rise is a prolific topic in climate change that I have written about a few times this semester. This week brings a new victim to be threatened by the rising tides: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Besides leading the world in space exploration, NASA also contributes a great deal of research on climate change and its impacts, making it ironic that they should be among those expected to be most immediately effected. Furthermore, I would have expected NASA to be among the most prepared groups, as they work on some of the nation’s most sophisticated technology. However, about two thirds of NASA’s facilities lie within 16 feet of sea level and along coastlines [1], making them exceptionally vulnerable to storm surges coupled with rising sea level. Couple the billions of dollars of investment and low elevation with an expected increase in the magnitude of hurricanes going forward, and you have a recipe for disaster. The Kennedy Space Center in Florida will likely be the first to experience these effects, as their beaches are already showing signs of major erosion, but the centers in Houston and San Francisco will likely also begin to see these changes by the end of the century. While retreat from the shorelines may be a slow, expensive, and difficult process, it will likely become necessary in the future. For this reason, and as with all issues related to climate change, it is best to begin investing in that solution now before the problem becomes too large and exceeds our ability to cope.

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/science/nasa-is-facing-a-climate-change-countdown.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0