Do Rising Seas Threaten Coastal Communities?

If you dream about living where you vacation at the beach, this video is for you! Hi, my name is Denis Raczkowski and I am living the dream. I live on Bogue Banks, one of the many barrier islands that form an almost unbroken chain from the eastern tip of Long Island to Padre Island off the coast of Texas. Barrier islands like Bogue Banks here along the Outer Banks of North Carolina function as dynamic interfaces between ocean and land, barriers, if you will, between the relentless power of the sea and terra firma. As barriers go, barrier islands don’t seem like much, being composed as they are of gravel, sand and mud surrounded by ocean and sound waters, So it should come as no surprise that these islands are susceptible to wave erosion, wind damage, flooding and dramatic sand movement during major storms. Is it any wonder that living on a barrier island is often described like living on an active volcano? Yet, these very scenic and very risky barrier islands command some of the highest real estate prices in all of the United States. A couple of years ago, in pre-COVID times, a 75’ x 200’ pile of sand next to one of my oceanfront homes here in Emerald Isle sold for $1.1 million dollars. Today, if you could find a comparable pile of sand, it would command double the price. Is it any wonder that an oceanfront home six doors down in my neighborhood was sold and immediately torn down so the new owners could build their dream residence? The key to living on a barrier island like I have for over 20 years is all about mitigating risks. Indeed, property damage risks vary greatly among the many barrier islands, even between different segments of the same island and sometimes even between the front and back of an island. As a resident and a real estate agent, my goal is to educate you on recognizing these risks. In this article, I examine one of the main property damage risks: rising sea levels.

Recent scientific evidence documents an abnormal and dramatic surge in sea levels on the barrier islands in the Gulf and southern coastlines, making an already vulnerable landscape that is home to millions of people even more vulnerable. How much more vulnerable? Stay tuned. Federal tide gauges show that the sea level around Grand Isle is 8 inches higher than it was in 2006, just after Hurricane Katrina. The rate of sea level rise along the Gulf Coast and around Florida is nearly 5 inches since 2010, about double the global average rate. Some of this dramatic rise can be attributed to sinking land. In Galveston,Texas and Grand Isle, Louisiana, land is sinking more rapidly than in places like Pensacola and Cedar Key, Florida.

What is driving this acceleration in sea levels is not entirely clear but what is clear is that the rapid sea level rise is impacting barrier islands more severely in the Gulf of Mexico, which has been warming far faster than the global ocean. Warm water naturally expands, causing sea levels to rise. That warm water gets carried along the east coast and can affect barrier islands off the coast of Georgia and the Carolinas. This warm current called the Loop Current enters the Gulf from the Caribbean and in turn is part of a broader pattern of circulation in the Atlantic Ocean.

Whatever the causes, rising sea levels are troubling. To be sure, hurricane risks grow more acute. Higher base water levels means greater storm damage as compared to fifty years ago. And related flooding can be more intense. Even an increase of a few centimeters in base water levels can lead to coastal inundation. But even more troubling is what is called ‘high tide’ flooding. As sea levels rise, it no longer takes a strong storm or a hurricane to cause coastal flooding on many barrier islands. Changes in prevailing winds, shifts in ocean currents, and strong tidal forces can all cause high tide flooding, inundating streets even on sunny days. That happens a lot in Louisiana, Florida, and South Carolina. High tide flooding messes with daily life, corroding cars that are driving through saltwater on a daily basis and making it difficult or impossible to open businesses or get to work. As nuisance flooding continues, barrier island and coastal properties could lose value, a shift that could harm homeowners and erode local tax bases.

Given that these rising sea level rates are not going to turn around immediately, what is a homeowner or home buyer of barrier island property to do? Well, you can do the research as I did and identify home sites on certain barrier islands that I would feel comfortable recommending to my children and their children. This is how I ended up purchasing property in Emerald Isle on Bogue Banks. My houses sit on sand over 40 feet above sea level nestled in a maritime forest. OR you can click on this Home Buying link and hire me to find you a similar home here along the North Carolina Outer Banks. Not ready to buy? Click on this newsletter link to subscribe to my newsletter. Or, sign up for my blog on my website, www.EIHomesforSale.com, and subscribe to Emerald Isle Vacation Home Specialist on Facebook and YouTube.