Maryland Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) identifies numerous Maryland communities, particularly on the Eastern Shore, at risk of 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, 22 communities will face this by 2035 and 17 more by 2100, with some areas like Crisfield facing flooding of over half its land area within 20 years. The report emphasizes that limiting global warming could spare between 9 and 31 communities from chronic inundation by the end of the century and calls for updated flood maps, reformed insurance, and funded relocation programs.

• 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.
• Maryland is the second most affected state in the US for current chronic inundation, trailing only Louisiana, with 12 of the 91 currently affected US communities located on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
• Under the intermediate sea level rise scenario, 22 Maryland communities will face chronic inundation by 2035 and an additional 17 by 2100. In the high scenario, the number of affected communities would increase to 51 by the end of the century.
• Certain Maryland locations are particularly vulnerable; Crisfield could see more than half its land area chronically flooded within approximately 20 years under the intermediate scenario, and Smith Island already experiences chronic inundation of about 15 percent.
• Limiting global warming to approximately 1.8°C (the 'low' scenario) could prevent chronic inundation for four or more Maryland communities by 2060 and between nine and 31 communities by 2100.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2017). Maryland Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-maryland-fact-sheet.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Maryland Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME. 2017. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2017/07/when-rising-seas-hit-home-maryland-fact-sheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

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

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2017maryland, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Maryland Faces WHEN RISING SEAS HIT HOME}}, 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-maryland-fact-sheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }