Climate change in Virginia

Higher water levels are eroding beaches, submerging low lands, exacerbating coastal flooding, and increasing the salinity of estuaries and aquifers.

In the wake of Hurricane Matthew and the flooding of over 2000 homes, the city of Virginia Beach took an unusual and aggressive stance on some new floodplain developments.

The subsequent lawsuit and legal judgment may result in far-reaching consequences for future local climate change adaptation.

Some community-members and developers in Norfolk expressed similar concerns about tax base and growth, as were discussed in Virginia Beach and elsewhere regarding retreat.

Although warming oceans provide these storms with more potential energy, scientists are not sure whether the recent intensification reflects a long-term trend.

If the oceans and atmosphere continue to warm, sea level along the Virginia coast is likely to rise sixteen inches to four feet in the next century".

The freshwater wetlands in the upper tidal portions of the Potomac, Rappahannock, York, and James rivers build their own land by capturing floating sediments, and they are likely to keep pace with the rising sea during the next century.

The United States Geological Survey estimates that Virginia's barrier islands could be broken up by new inlets or lost to erosion if sea level rises two feet by the year 2100.

For example, some of the freshwater swamps along the York River’s tidal tributaries have standing dead trees that were killed by saltwater intrusion made possible by rising sea level".

Marine organisms and small insects that feed in marshes are key sources of food for crabs, rockfish, and other commercially important fisheries.

Many birds inhabit the most vulnerable marshes along Chesapeake Bay, including great blue heron, bald eagle, American black duck, and snowy egret.