Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Study for the City of Los Angeles

Climate change is expected to usher in an era of higher temperatures, increased precipitation and/or severe drought, and increased rates of sea level rise around the world. According to the National Research Council (NRC), global sea level has risen at an increasing rate since the late 19th / early 20th Century, when global temperatures first started to rise. Climate researchers believe sea level rise will drive storm surge and wave run-up higher than current conditions, thereby causing more extensive and frequent coastal, storm-driven flooding.

Sea level rise in Los Angeles is expected to match global projections over the next century with anincrease of 0.1 – 0.6 meters (m), or 0.3 – 2.0 feet (ft), from 2000 – 2050 and 0.4 – 1.7 m (or 1.3 – 5.6 ft) from 2000 – 2100 (NRC 2012). Tides, wave-driven run-up, and storm surge play critical roles in coastal flooding in Southern California, especially when big wave storms occur at or near peak high tides. Sea level rise will potentially exacerbate the damage from these events.