Capstones
Graduation Date
Fall 12-16-2019
Grading Professor
Emily Laber-Warren
Subject Concentration
Health & Science
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Abstract
When people think of preparing for a disaster, they focus on how to safeguard homes, prevent damage to roads, and create efficient flood drainage. But as sea levels rise, it’s not only the living that are affected. Coastal cemeteries are washing away or slowly turning into marshland, and in some instances, caskets can be seen floating in the streets after storms. Projections from NOAA indicate that the global mean sea level is likely to rise at least 12 inches by 2100, and in a worst case scenario in which greenhouse gas emissions are at their highest, as high as 8.2 feet. Cemeteries in North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana and Texas are already being affected, and New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida, and California are likely to be affected in the near future. Cemetery owners, trade associations, and historians are all working to find ways to preserve cemeteries as the financial and emotional toll of the destruction adds up. Link: http://kristenancillotti.com/sea-level-rise-cemeteries/
Recommended Citation
Ancillotti, Kristen, "Rising Seas are Coming for the Dead" (2019). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/404