When I first made the New York and the Boston maps, I rendered the sea level rise at a much lower level than the cities of the West Coast. The Atlantic Seaboard slopes very gradually from the ocean to the Piedmont…much more gradually than the rugged West Coast. I set the sea rise for these cities lower in the original maps because on the East Coast there is nothing left at 215′ of sea rise. A map with nothing but a sheet of blue isn’t very interesting…certainly not as interesting as a map with landforms–islands, bays, peninsulas. It’s much more relatable, and puts the sea rise into context with the remaining land.
So, for this new round of maps, I decided to pull back and show a bit more of the region. The new and updated maps show 215′ of sea level rise. Washington DC has a few neighborhoods keeping their heads above water, but anything along the rivers is wiped away.
For as long as I’ve thought about making this map (which has been a long time–this is the first new sea rise map I’ve made in years), I’ve thought …Soggy Bottom, Soggy Bottom, Soggy Bottom… Maybe it’s not as good a pun as, say, Strait Outta Compton, but I may never reach that peak again.
I haven’t made a new city map in this series for years. I thought it was about time to dust off the old set, update the graphics, and start adding some new locations. Washington, DC seemed like the perfect place to start again. This map is dedicated to all the climate deniers currently infesting the US capital city. May you all drown in your bathtubs.
