Port of Seattle Launches Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment: $1 Million in Federal Funding, With About a Foot of Rise Projected by 2050
SEATTLE, Washington — The Port of Seattle, in King County, Washington, has launched the Seattle Waterfront Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment, the port announced on October 21. According to the port, the project is backed by a $1 million federal appropriation secured by U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal through the Congressionally Directed Spending program in the fiscal year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, designated specifically for the assessment.
The Port of Seattle will lead the study together with the City of Seattle, King County, the Northwest Seaport Alliance and the Washington State Department of Transportation. It will examine how rising seas, severe storms, shifting groundwater, earthquakes and compound disasters could affect Seattle's marine shoreline, focusing on nodes where port infrastructure intersects with transportation and utility networks. Projections cited by the port indicate Seattle will see sea levels climb by about a foot by 2050 and potentially three feet by 2100, causing severe coastal flooding and widespread damage. The port said the joint assessment will help partners coordinate and sequence investments so funding goes where it is needed most; the project still goes through the full grant application process, with funds expected to be awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) next year. (GSM, based on the Port of Seattle announcement)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 西雅图港集装箱码头与 Elliott Bay 航拍资料图（2022年）。图片：经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Aerial view of the Port of Seattle container terminals on Elliott Bay, 2022, file photo. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
