The ground around San Francisco Bay is sinking to meet the rising sea, another reason for Bay Area residents to worry about the impact of climate change on their region. A new report suggests that sinking land, known as land subsidence, will increase the potential reach and damage of flooding in the Bay Area, submerging a larger portion of the region by the year 2100 than previously estimated. Under the new projections, San Francisco International Airport could see half of its runways submerged by the year 2100. Other areas around the Bay that have been built on engineered landfill, like parts of Foster City and Treasure Island, are particularly vulnerable to the dual impact of subsidence and sea level rise. At the more severe end of the spectrum, the level of flooding would far exceed the effects of sinking land.

Source: New York Times March 07, 2018 19:30 UTC