Sea level rise will of course change the appearance of landscapes that have been known and treasured by many, but the effects of sea level rise far surpass the nostalgic emotions of a changing place. I took this opportunity to do some research into a place that I have loved since I was a child, and a landscape that I treasure. Cape Cod, in Massachusetts, has been the inspiration of novelists and poets, including Mary Oliver. It is home to a national park: the Cape Cod National Seashore, which was set aside by President Kennedy as a place that he also treasured. Like many places, it is drastically changing.
A report by the U.S. Geological Survey warns that sea level will rise about 8 inches. I have watched the water wash away the land and convert grassland to marshland. Alongside this rise in sea level comes a correspondingly larger rise in storm surges and the potential for flooding. If water were to rise 10 feet above its normal levels during a storm, it would cover route 6 and cut off Provincetown from the rest of the Cape. If a 4 foot rise occurs as the result of a storm, nearly 5,000 homes would be destroyed.
A digital tool, created by the Cape Cod Commission, further shows the effects of hurricanes on the coast of Cape Cod. A category 4 Hurricane would eliminate much of Wellfleet Harbor (where my house is) and would flood the town of Provincetown on the tip of the cape. The inner cape would also be affected by hurricanes and large storms, as flooding would reach the towns of Dennis and Harwichport.
As I stated, however, it is not just the change in landscape and flooding of homes and businesses that are at risk with a rising ocean. Cape Cod home prices are being affected by climate change and rising ocean levels now.
The Boston Globe reported on housing prices in Truro, the town between Wellfleet and Provincetown on the outer edges of the Cape. Sotheby’s International Realty, one of the largest realtor’s on the cape, employs an individual to produce SLOSH flood maps for clients and educate them on the quickly eroding sand on the ocean side of the Cape. Houses have to routinely be moved further from the shore – a fascinating process of lifting a structure and moving it 10 feet backward that I have observed countless times.
Ultimately, rising oceans will change landscapes all over the world, but looking at each of these places as unique and special may help to convey the gravity of the situation to individuals who do not see it.
Sources:
Click to access 10_Thieler-Future-SLR-and-Coastal-Change-on-Cape-Cod.pdf
http://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20140425/NEWS/404250341
http://www.capecodcommission.org/sealevelrise/
https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/real-estate/2014/09/13/climate-change-concerns-weigh-cape-home-buying-decisions/SnTafe2lwWiOsLt5AtezHK/story.html