America's wealthiest cities are SINKING! Scientists warn of sea level disaster by 2050

A major scientific report warns that rising sea levels and sinking land could submerge parts of America's richest cities like San Francisco, New York, and Miami by 2050, costing billions and displacing millions.

Image Credit: Getty

Many of America’s richest and most populated coastal cities are slowly sinking and scientists say the situation could turn into a full-blown crisis within the next 25 years.

A new report from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) warns that rising sea levels, sinking land, and coastal erosion are combining to threaten cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Alameda in California. These areas have seen local sea levels steadily rising since at least 2018, and the trend is accelerating.

According to the study, San Diego is facing the fastest sea level rise along the entire U.S. West Coast, about 2.6 millimeters per year. By 2050, local sea levels in several California cities are expected to rise well above national averages, a report in DailyMail says. This could lead to more severe flooding, loss of coastal land, disappearing beaches, and massive economic damage.

What this means for California

California is home to nearly 40 million people, and over 26 million live along the coast. If sea levels continue to rise as projected:

• Properties worth up to $18 billion could be flooded
• Tourism may decline sharply as beaches shrink or vanish
• Cities could face mass evacuations, especially in low-lying areas
• In San Francisco, protecting the Bay Area alone could cost around $110 billion by 2050

Adding to the concern, a NASA study in early 2024 found that sea levels in parts of California could rise twice as fast as previously predicted.

Trouble brewing beyond California

While the West Coast is facing serious challenges, scientists say the East Coast and Gulf Coast are in even worse shape.

Cities like New York, Boston, Baltimore, Charleston, and Savannah are expected to see more than a foot of sea level rise by 2050. Along the Gulf Coast, places like Florida, Texas, and Louisiana could see the ocean rise by more than 18 inches.

In Rockport, Texas, the ocean could rise by 2.49 feet, that’s nearly 30 inches, by 2050. Meanwhile, New Orleans continues to sink at a rate of up to two inches per year, with large parts of the city built on soft clay and peat soils, which sink faster when developed or drained.

Why is this happening?

Sea level rise is mainly caused by:

• Melting glaciers and ice sheets, especially in Greenland
• Thermal expansion, which means water expands as it warms
• Sinking land, also known as subsidence, often due to groundwater removal, soft soils, or heavy construction
• Changing ocean currents and climate events like El Niño, which can affect sea levels for years

Researchers used 55 years of sea level data from tide gauges at 36 U.S. coastal locations to make their predictions. They examined both the speed of sea level rise and whether it’s accelerating over time.

What happens next?

The situation is urgent. According to the scientists, one in every 50 Americans living on the coast may need to relocate in the next few decades due to flooding, erosion, or sinking land.

Molly Mitchell, assistant professor at VIMS and lead author of the report, said people need clear forecasts so they can plan ahead and make smarter decisions about where and how to live near the coast, reports DailyMail.

“We continue to see the fastest rates of sea level rise in Gulf states like Texas and Louisiana,” she said. “But many of the East Coast stations are accelerating quite quickly.”

The message from experts is clear: If America doesn’t act soon, some of its wealthiest cities may be underwater and that's not just figuratively, but literally.