Sea Level Rise Seen As Future Problem

September 23, 1986

KEY BISCAYNE -- A rise in sea level would flood the Florida coast, erode the beaches, deplete freshwater wetlands and increase saltwater intrusion, federal and state experts said Monday.

But the effects of the sea level rise, which experts agree is occurring globally, can be minimized by careful planning now, they say.

``Even if you don`t believe the sea level is going to rise, maybe people ought to be doing something about it already. Look for policies that make sense. Given that the sea could rise, what can we be doing about it?`` said James Titus, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency`s sea level rise project.

Titus and other federal and state officials believe the one-foot rise in sea level during the next 30 or 40 years will chop 100 to 1,000 feet off the Atlantic coast, depending on the area, and it is not too soon to stem the effects of the rising tide.

``Many people are hesitant to come to grips with a global problem,`` Titus said. ``But a one-foot rise means 150 feet of erosion in Florida if you don`t do anything.``

For example, coastal communities like Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Miami may have to build levees similar to those in New Orleans, to regulate the amount of water. Homes on the water may have to be inexpensive shacks that won`t be missed when the tide creeps inland. Protecting the wetlands, such as the Everglades, would be more difficult because they are not recreational attractions like beaches, officials said.

Titus was one of three speakers at a workshop at the University of Miami`s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Monday afternoon. The workshop, one of several being held around the state, was to inform local officials that they should be thinking about new strategies now to handle the consequences of the greenhouse effect.

Scientists have been documenting a gradual warming of the earth for several years. Like glass in a greenhouse, carbon dioxide allows visible sunlight to pass but absorbs infrared radiation from the earth`s surface as a result of heating. Plants use carbon in the atmosphere for photosynthesis.

Much of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere comes from the burning of fossil fuels, and widespread clearing of forests makes it more difficult for the earth to recycle the carbon.

The amount of carbon dioxide could double within the next 50 years, resulting in the earth warming 7 degrees, Titus said.

The greenhouse effect is the consequence of man`s pumping into the atmosphere such chemicals as chlorofluorocarbons from spray cans, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

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