I have seen a few comments and diaries talking about sea level rise both on the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast. The assumption is both are seeing similar sea level rise for the same reason: Global Warming. While it is true both the Gulf and East Coasts are being plagued with the encroachment of seawater, the causes are different and it is an important distinction because one has a solution that is much more under our control than the other.
Sea level rise due to Global Warming is happening much more rapidly on the East Coast than in the Gulf. The reason is the slowing down of the Gulf Stream, which is actually a ribbon of water that sits on top of the Atlantic Ocean due to its higher temperature. It remains a relatively tall, but narrow ribbon off the coast because of a conveyer belt type system that keeps the Gulf Stream moving. The water brought in by the Gulf Stream eventually sinks in the North Atlantic as it evaporates and cools becoming cold, dense salty water and then moves south as a deep ocean current (www.whoi.edu/...). Due to increased melt from Greenland glaciers and the Arctic ice sheet, a large amount of fresh water is being introduced into the system. This is diluting the Gulf Stream and thus slowing the conveyor belt because the Gulf Stream waters are not sinking at the same rate as before. As it slows down, the ribbon of water spreads out and causes the seas to rise along the East Coast (en.wikipedia.org/...). This is why Miami Beach is flooding at a regular rate at this point and why storms like Sandy cause so much more damage.
The Gulf is not seeing this same type of sea level rise. The sea level rise that is occurring in the Gulf is due to natural land subsidence that normally would be mitigated through the natural deposits of silt from river deltas large and small. However, they have been modified with levees and canals, preventing this from occurring. The Gulf has seen relatively little sea level rise due to Global Warming at this point, but instead there is sea level rise due to land subsidence that is occurring at an extremely fast rate (gulfsealevel.org/...). Even without Global Warming, this problem would exist.
The Gulf Coast needs major help in the restoration of the river deltas so that this process is reversed. The restoration of the river deltas along the Gulf Coast would also help mitigate the effects of sea level rise that can and most probably will occur due to Global Warming (www.mississippiriverdelta.org/...). The best thing about this is the fact we do not need international cooperation to do this. We only need funding and expertise. The expertise and plans are already available, at least for the Mississippi River Delta (www.mississippiriverdelta.org/...). The only thing missing is the political will to fund these types of major environmental restoration projects. Yet another reason we need to make sure Hillary goes to the White House and the Democratic Party regains majorities in the House and Senate.