HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — A recent study points to some alarming news: the Chesapeake Bay is sinking.
A team of researchers at Virginia Tech discovered that sea levels are rising at a faster rate than previously predicted because the land is actually sinking.
In Hampton Roads, land is sinking at a high rate of nearly a quarter of an inch per year. The region most at risk is Naval Station Norfolk. This high rate is one of the fastest that experts have observed around the country, and findings show that the rate at which the area's land is sinking is one of the top ten fastest in the world.
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With higher sea levels, flooding hazards in Hampton Roads will be amplified due to the heavy precipitation from storms, river discharge, or both.
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Dr. Manoochehr Shirzaei, an associate professor of radar remote sensing engineering and geophysics at Virginia Tech, lead the research team that conducted the study. He says the subsidence is caused by natural processes such as the change in elevation due to the melting of glacial ice, and that cannot be stopped.
However, he said the main driver for hotspots like Hampton Roads is sites of major anthropogenic activities, such as groundwater pumping from aquifers. Dr. Shirzaei says this paired with coastal erosion leads to wetland losses, which can have major negative implications for wildlife and for us.
"If you don't create adaptation plans to improve the resiliency against the flooding hazard, life will be very difficult in the future in the Chesapeake Bay," said Dr. Shirzaei. "Flooding can impact infrastructures, house properties, railways, roads, highways, [and] pipelines."
He says we need to act now to prevent the loss of lands and crucial habitats.
"Important habitats, such as wetlands, are among the most important ecosystems that provide livelihood for many kinds of creatures. But [the habitats] also provide protection to the coastal communities by reducing the intensity of flooding. And [losing land] can happen in the future if we don't act now," he said.
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Dr. Shirzaei said ways to preserve land and combat flooding include the following: upgrading protection facilities like dams, raising land, and improving flood resiliency. However, he said to be effective, these actions must be swift and comprehensive.
