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Miami Beach, Florida during King Tide flooding.
over the city’s floodwalls and into streets more frequently during full-moon high tides called “king tides.”
Studies have found that millions of Floridians are at risk by being displaced by rising seas. Along Alton Road on the west side of Miami Beach, the sea batters the city’s west coast and sweeps into the resort’s storm drains, reversing the flow of water that normally comes down from the streets above. Instead, ocean water pushes up into gutters along Alton Road and pours into the streets and sidewalks. Then, the seawater surges across the rest of the low-lying island. Alton Road is just two feet above sea level, according to elevationmap.net . Miami Beach, a narrow barrier island, just seven miles long by one mile wide, is a resort community of just over 100,000 people surrounded by water, though its population swells with a steady stream of tourists. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean and the Biscayne Bay is on the west.
Such efforts, according to Pilkey, the Duke geologist, are a waste of money.
“Pumps are not going to help Miami Beach,” said Pilkey.
During the fall seasonal high tides, ocean water pushes up through storm drains turning streets and sidewalks into rivers of saltwater in Miami Beach due to high astronomical tides caused by the lunar cycle. Streets in low-lying Miami Beach neighborhoods have begun flooding during the highest tides, usually when the moon is full around the fall equinox. Residents in Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and the Florida Keyes have witnessed these higher tides for decades.
But scientists warn that higher tides will rise more frequently due to sea level rise triggered by climate change.
ATTOM Data Solutions • P4
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