History

Because the land height in different regions is also changing due to local and regional subsidence and uplift, the relative SLR can deviate substantially from eustatic SLR.  The mid-Atlantic North American coast has a rate of relative SLR higher than the global average of about 4.6 mm/year (Ezer 2013). As a result, the mid-Atlantic region of North America is experiencing increases in the frequency of tidal flooding (Tebaldi et al., 2012). During monthly spring tides when water levels are at their highest, tidal flooding has become increasingly common (Ezer 2018). 

Figure 2. Hours per year in which mean higher high water (MHHW) is above 0.53m. This is the limit for minor flooding in Norfolk, VA. Numbers indicate major storms, listed in the upper-left corner of the figure. Red triangles indicate el Nino years. Image from Ezer 2018.
Figure 3. a) Kids playing in flooded area during an extreme high tide event in Norfolk, VA.
b) truck passing a flooded street during an extreme high tide event in Norfolk, VA.