An estimated 13,000 historic sites could be lost or damaged in the southeastern United States with just 3 feet of sea level rise, according to a new study by a team of archaeologists published in the journal PLOS One. More than 32,000 sites would be at risk if sea levels rise 15 feet.
An estimated 13,000 historic sites could be lost or damaged in the southeastern United States with just 3 feet of sea level rise, according to a new study by a team of archaeologists published in the journal PLOS One. More than 32,000 sites would be at risk if sea levels rise 15 feet.
Using the Digital Index of North American Archeology database, the study looked at archaeological sites along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, stretching from Maryland south to Louisiana. Those at risk, including thousands on the National Register of Historic Places, include Native American sites that are 10,000 years old, early colonial settlements like Jamestown, Virginia, and more modern historic sites, like the Kennedy Space Center. Florida alone could lose 4,000 historic sites from 3 feet of sea level rise.
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Image: Among the historic U.S. sites at risk from sea level rise is St. Augustine in Florida, the country's oldest continuously inhabited city, founded in 1565.
Image via PIXABAY
