These Amazon HQ2 finalist cities could be partially underwater in our children's lifetimes

pulse

March 21, 2018 3:13 PM

A new analysis shows which HQ2 cities would be inundated if sea levels rose three feet, a modest projection of how much water levels could rise.

In January, Amazon announced the top 20 contenders for its $5 billion second headquarters, HQ2. Across North America, more than 200 cities, states, and regions submitted bids for the campus, which is expected to bring 50,000 jobs.

A new analysis from mapping-software company Esri and the IT firm Michael Baker International explores how sea-level rise could threaten each of the HQ2 finalist metro areas. Their study and interactive map suggest that increasing water levels will reshape US coasts by the end of the century.

There are some caveats to the analysis. Since the researchers used US government data, they excluded Toronto, Canada, a finalist city that is already worried about its floodplain. (Toronto Islands

Miami, Florida

The Miami Herald

Washington, DC

The city is offering up a number of sites to Amazon, including

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

reported

Climate Central has estimated that Philadelphia area waters could rise 19 inches by 2050 and 4 feet or more by 2100, putting nearly 2,000 homes and 3,200 residents at risk.

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston sea levels have increased nearly a foot since 1921,according to NOAA.

Newark, New Jersey

according to

New York City

coastal real estate consequences to job creation

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