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Executive Summary
Pages 1-8

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From page 1...
... . To provide a useful basis for sensitivity design calculations and policy decisions that must take sea level rise into account, the committee adopted three plausible variations in eustatic sea level rise to the year 2100, aD displaying a greater rate of rise in the distant future than in the next decade and all with an increased rate of rise relative to the present: 50, 100, and 150 cm.
From page 2...
... In higher latitudes, glacial rebound is much greater than the eustatic component of sea level rise and, in locations like Hudson Bay, Canada, has resulted in a relative Towering of sea level in excess of 130 cm/century. These substantial differences must be considered in developing responses to a relative Change.
From page 3...
... , structures conservatively designed with expected lives of 50 years or less should not be significantly affected by sea level rise even if a rise Is not considered specifically in the design. Other structures, such as sea walls and hotels on the open coast, would be vulnerable to even a small rise.
From page 4...
... In many engineering projects, it may be desirable to carry out sensitivity calculations, using specific sea level rise scenarios. If a particular structure is ill-suited for retrofitting, it will undoubtedly be appropriate to allow for an acceleration of sea level rise in the initial design.
From page 5...
... Although there is substantial local variability and statistical uncertainty, average relative sea level over the past century appears to have risen about 30 cm relative to the East Coast of the United States and 11 cm along the West Coast, excluding Alaska, where glacial rebound has resulted in a lowering of relative sea level. Rates of relative sea level rise along the Gulf Coast are highly variable, ranging from a high of more than 100 cm/century in parts of the Mississippi delta plain to a low of less than 20 cm/century along Florida's west coast.
From page 6...
... Present decisions should not be based on a particular sea level rise scenario. Rather, those charged with planning or design responsibilities in the coastal zone should be aware of and sensitized to the probabilities of and quantitative uncertainties related to future sea level rise.
From page 7...
... Army Corps of Engineers and storm surge studies of the Federal Emergency Management Agency) should consider the high probability of accelerated sea level rise.
From page 8...
... Geological Survey, and the Environmental Protection Agency, should increase their funding for coastal processes research. The federal research funding effort should focus on studies directed toward understanding nature's response to relative sea level rise and developing appropriate engineering responses.


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