Sea Level Rise in the Low Country of South Carolina
How the sea level rise is affecting the Low Country of SC.
What is The Low Country
In its most basic form, Low Countries are low-lying regions in southern states that reside below the ocean level and span from the coastline to the fall line of the state.
Image of Kiawah marshland
The Low Country is important due to its high level of diversity in species. This ecosystem is home to many different species of fish, plant life, other mammals, and birds. This makes the Low Country an amazing place for fisheries and any scientific research or expeditions.
The Low Country makes up 21% of South Carolina with a population of roughly 1.2 million residents.
What is it affected by?
The Low Country is affected by rising sea levels that have slowly but steadily risen 8-9 inches since 1880, according to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The sea level in this area has almost doubled due to the land being so low and the fact that the low-lying land is also sinking.
Other variables that affect this area are high tide flooding, tropical storms, and nor’easters.
High Tide Flooding: When natural high tide patterns combine with the rising sea level to create abnormally high tides that flood low-level areas.
Tropical Storm Surges: Storm surges bring in large amounts of ocean water and heavy debris in the low country area. This causes large amounts of damage to ecosystems and structures.
Nor’Easters: Occurring when air temperatures drastically fluctuate on the East Coast combining warm water temperatures to create swells and surges that flood low-level areas. It's kind of like a tropical storm but less drastic. (Example: Nor’Easter that recently occurred in South Carolina on December 17th of 2023.)
Areas of Interest
Within this century these locations will see up to two and a quarter feet of sea level rise according to the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines.
What are the Issues?
What does this mean for the future?
As we proceed into the future, we will notice more wetlands migrating inland and marshes, rivers, and streams getting larger and wider in size. We will see a lot of land loss due to new high tide measurements and resting water lines.
What can we do?
There are two types of coastal erosion solutions.
