photo #8055824

NASA map reveals coastal cities home to 40m that are SINKING into the oceanA NASA-led study has pinpointed parts of the California coast that are sinking into the ocean, including major cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Golden State is the most populous in the US with nearly 40 million residents, including 68 percent of Californians living along the coast.Researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) teamed up to investigate which parts of California are most vulnerable to sea level rise.The results revealed that sea levels will rise more than twice as much as previously expected in parts of San Francisco and Los Angeles by 2050. That's because the land in these areas is actually shifting downward as sea levels rise due to climate change, intensifying the rate of submersion. Over the next 25 years, ground sinking could result in more than a foot of sea level rise in and around Los Angeles, and up to 17 inches in parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, like the city of San Rafael.That's roughly double the previous regional estimates for these metro areas of 6.7 and 7.4 inches, respectively.In San Rafael, just one foot of sea level rise would inundate entire neighborhoods, shopping centers and even some schools, according to NOAA's Sea Level Rise Viewer.On their latest map of the state, NASA scientists revealed where the land was sinking the most, with those areas of California sinking the deepest highlighted in darker and darker shades of blue.