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Before rising seas flood San Francisco’s streets from climate change, rising groundwater mixed with salt water could degrade underground structures like sewage lines and building foundations, scientists say.
Posted on Dec 17, 2020 Rising seas are pushing groundwater upward, worsening flooding. As the climate warms, coastal waters are rising, not only along the shore, but beneath people’s feet. “The storms and the waves and sea-level rise are going to affect the surface water first, and the groundwater is going to follow,” says Kevin Befus, assistant professor in the department of geosciences at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Befus says that as seas rise, more saltwater seeps inland. That creates pressure on existing groundwater and pushes it upward. As it rises, that water can cr...