Tonya D. Clayton

Sea levels are rising—globally and in Florida. Climatologists, geologists, oceanographers, and the overwhelming majority of the scientific community expect a continuation of this trend for centuries to come. While Florida’s natural history indicates that there is nothing new about the changing elevation of the sea, what is new—and alarming—is the combination of the rising seas and the ever-growing, immobile human infrastructure near the coasts: high-rise condos, suburban developments, tourist meccas, and international metropolises. The stakes are particularly high in Florida, where much of the landscape is already topographically low and underlain by permeable limestone. Modern-day sea-level rise poses unprecedented challenges for sustainability, urban planning, and political action. Sea Level Rise in Florida offers an in-depth examination of the rise and fall of sea levels in the past and the science behind the current data, both measured and projected. The authors also discuss ongoing and potential consequences for natural marine and coastal systems and how we can begin to plan strategically for the inevitable changes.

The wide sandy beaches, quiet maritime forests, and vast Spartina marshes of the natural Georgia coast create a most spectacular, albeit gentle, Southern beauty. Casual visitors and longtime residents alike have been charmed by this special place. Living with the Georgia Shore provides an essential reference and guide for residents, visitors, developers, planners, and all who are concerned with the conditions and future of Georgia's coastal zone. Recounting the human and natural history of the islands, the authors look in particular at the phenomenon of coastal erosion and the implications of various responses to this process. In Georgia, as elsewhere in the United States, the future of the shore is in doubt as recreational and residential development demands increase. This book provides guidelines for living with the shore, as opposed to simply living on it. The former requires planning and a wise choice of property or house site. The latter ignores the potential hazards unique to coastal life and may make inadequate allowance for the dramatic changes that can occur on any sandy ocean shore. Living with the Georgia Shore includes an introduction to each of the Georgia isles, an overview of federal and state coastal land-use regulations, pointers on buying and building at the shore, a hurricane preparation checklist, a history of recent hurricanes in Georgia, an extensive annotated bibliography, and a guide to government agencies and private groups involved in issues of coastal development.

The wide sandy beaches, quiet maritime forests, and vast Spartina marshes of the natural Georgia coast create a most spectacular, albeit gentle, Southern beauty. Casual visitors and longtime residents alike have been charmed by this special place. Living with the Georgia Shore provides an essential reference and guide for residents, visitors, developers, planners, and all who are concerned with the conditions and future of Georgia's coastal zone. Recounting the human and natural history of the islands, the authors look in particular at the phenomenon of coastal erosion and the implications of various responses to this process. In Georgia, as elsewhere in the United States, the future of the shore is in doubt as recreational and residential development demands increase. This book provides guidelines for living with the shore, as opposed to simply living on it. The former requires planning and a wise choice of property or house site. The latter ignores the potential hazards unique to coastal life and may make inadequate allowance for the dramatic changes that can occur on any sandy ocean shore. Living with the Georgia Shore includes an introduction to each of the Georgia isles, an overview of federal and state coastal land-use regulations, pointers on buying and building at the shore, a hurricane preparation checklist, a history of recent hurricanes in Georgia, an extensive annotated bibliography, and a guide to government agencies and private groups involved in issues of coastal development.