Fort Sumter is subsiding an inch every six to seven years according to Woodwell Climate. The sea level will rise 1.21 ft by 2050 in Charleston’s bay where Sumter is located and 2.46 ft by 2080, according to Woodwell Climate. As the sea level rises, waves driven onshore during violent storms will be dashed on the walls of the fort. In 2017, Tropical Storm Irma did so much damage that the fort was closed for a month.
More than 400,000 tourists visit the fort every year, spending 35 million dollars. Dawn Davis of the National Park Service says that “It is resulting in possibly some failing walls.” She said that large stones surrounding the fort will be moved 60 feet into the harbor to create a breakwater. Dirt, and, and plants will be placed where the rocks had been to create a wetland for further protection.
As climate change raises sea levels, historic Charleston’s waterfront will also be affected.
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