“Incremental” is the word often used to describe sea-level rise in the contexts of Florida’s coast. But “dramatic” may be the appropriate word to describe sea-level rise in the last century and for predictions about what the next 100 years will bring.

During one of a series of public education meetings held by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA), Dr. Harold Wanless, Chair of the University of Miami’s Department of Geological Sciences presented data showing how global warming has already impacted Florida. Other experts call the data “incontrovertible,” and “alarming.”

One of the most dramatic examples, Wanless showed, is the rapid change of Cape Sable from a freshwater marsh as late as 1928 to a saltwater lagoon.

Other data shows that ocean has encroached on Key West almost 3/4ths of a foot in the last century. Wanless warned that sea levels could still rise between two or three feet in the next century if global carbon dioxide levels stop rising.

For every foot of rise, geologists and climatologists predict that the shore will migrate landward between 500 and 2,000 feet, depending upon the slope and elevation of the given stretch of coast. The habitats can morph where development has not blocked the path of retreat, but in many places Florida may face the same challenges as the Dutch, who live behind massive walls with pumps running constantly.

Among the most threatened coastal habitats are those in the Ten Thousand Islands, which Wanless called “doomed.”

For more information, visit www.targetglobalwarming.com.