sealevel rise could disrupt lives of more than 13 million people in us study says creditgrace beahmthe post and courier via associated pressmarch 14 2016sealevel rise a problem exacerbated by greenhouse gas emissions could disrupt the lives of more than 13 million people in the united states three times the most current estimates according to a study published mondayrising seas which already endanger coastal communities through tidal floods and storm surges could rise three feet or more over the next century if emissions continue at a high level threatening many shoreline communities the study published in nature climate change argues that most projections vastly underestimate the number of people at risk because they do not account for population growthfor the study the authors combined future population estimates with predicted sealevel rise using data from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration to demonstrate that millions are at risk 42 million if seas rise by three feet or 131 million with a sixfoot increase a highend estimatemathew e hauer one of the studys authors and a doctoral student in geography at the university of georgia said we could see a hugescale migration if we dont deploy any protection against sea level riserecent studies have shown that the sea levels are rapidly increasing probably at the fastest rate in 28 centuries and its accompanying tidal flooding increasingly frequent is already causing headaches in lowlying places especially in the south though sea levels have risen and fallen significantly in the past scientists say they have been fairly constant for the last several thousand yearsmr hauer and his coauthors also found a highly regional effect of sealevel rise of the projected population at risk nearly 50 percent will be in florida and an additional 20 percent in other parts of the southeastern united states in 30 counties more than 100000 people would be at risk if the sea level rose by about six feetnone of the 22 coastal states in the continental united states as well as washington dc will be immune from the effects of sealevel rise the authors predict if the seas were to rise by about six feet by 2100 more than one million people in california and almost as many in new york and new jersey would be affected the study showsthe researchers estimated that the cost of relocating the 131 million people displaced by sealevel rise would be 14 trillion based on relocation estimates for residents of alaskan coastal villagesmr hauer said the study could be useful on a local policy level as wellpredictions for sealevel rise are often done on a very small scale while population forecasting is often done at a county or state level mr hauer said using census data mr hauer and his coauthors grouped units similar to city blocks to develop their forecast and assumed that housing development patterns would continue at the same ratebenjamin h strauss an expert on sealevel rise at climate central a climate change research organization said he believed that the