Drowning history: Sea level rise threatens US historic sites

With scientists forecasting sea levels to rise by anywhere from several inches to several feet by 2100, historic structures and coastal heritage sites around the world are under threat. Some sites and artifacts could become submerged.

Scientists, historic preservationists, architects and public officials are meeting this week in Newport, Rhode Island — one of the threatened areas — to discuss the problem, how to adapt to rising seas and preserve historic structures.

"Any coastal town that has significant historic properties is going to be facing the challenge of protecting those properties from increased water and storm activity," said Margot Nishimura, of the Newport Restoration Foundation, the nonprofit group hosting the conference.

Federal authorities have encouraged people to elevate structures in low-lying areas, but that poses challenges in dense neighborhoods of centuries-old homes built around central brick chimneys, Nishimura said, especially ones where preservationists are trying to keep the character intact.

Many of the most threatened sites in North America lie along the East Coast between Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and southern Maine, where the rate of sea level rise is among the fastest in the world, said Adam Markham, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a speaker at the conference.

"We're actually not going to be able to save everything," he said.

A look at some of the historic areas and cultural sites that are under threat from rising sea levels:

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Taxonomy

• Coastal Engineering
• Coastal
• Climate Change
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Climate Change Resilience
• Sea Level Rise Risk Perception
• Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assesment
• Climate Change