Florida Faces Chronic Inundation

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) identifies numerous Florida communities facing 'chronic inundation'—defined as high tide flooding 10% or more of usable, non-wetland area at least 26 times per year. Under an intermediate sea level rise scenario, five communities will face this by 2035 and 53 by 2100. In a high scenario, Miami Beach and Key Biscayne could see 60% and 50% of their areas chronically inundated by 2060, respectively. The report argues that limiting global warming to approximately 1.8°C could spare between 39 and 71 Florida communities from this fate by 2100. To address these risks, UCS advocates for halting risky coastal development, enhancing disaster response frameworks like FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, and creating new policies for managed retreat and relocation.

• The Union of Concerned Scientists defines 'chronic inundation' as occurring when high tide floods 10 percent or more of a community's usable, non-wetland area at least 26 times per year, or roughly every other week.
• Under the intermediate sea level rise scenario, five Florida communities will experience chronic inundation by 2035, increasing to 53 communities by 2100. In the high scenario, the number of exposed communities increases by 14 by 2060 and by 32 by 2100 compared to the intermediate scenario.
• Specific high-risk areas in Florida include Miami Beach and Key Biscayne; under the high scenario, approximately 30% and 25% of these areas will be chronically inundated by 2045, rising to 60% and 50% by 2060.
• Limiting global warming to about 1.8°C (the 'low' scenario) could prevent chronic inundation for 13 or more Florida communities by 2060 and between 39 and 71 communities by 2100.
• UCS recommends three policy response categories: phasing out policies that encourage risky coastal development, enhancing existing frameworks such as FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, and creating new programs for retreat and relocation from inundated areas.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2017). Florida Faces Chronic Inundation. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-florida-fact-sheet.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Florida Faces Chronic Inundation. 2017. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-florida-fact-sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Florida Faces Chronic Inundation |date=July 2017 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-florida-fact-sheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2017florida, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Florida Faces Chronic Inundation}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2017}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-florida-fact-sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }