Report: Sea rise means more tidal flooding this year for Jersey Shore

Shore areas could see 10 percent to 20 percent more tidal flooding this year because of continued sea level rise and a potential El Niño, according to a new federal report. Philadelphia could also see an increase in flooding, but that level is harder to predict, researchers say. Rutgers and Princeton researchers released a separate report on flooding today about the impact of rising seas on flooding. Robert Kopp, a Rutgers climate scientist and an author on the study who co-directs the Lab, said their findings show more moderate flooding will occur more frequently. Kopp said some areas will become almost permanently flooded. “It makes the flooding associated with storm surges worse because you’re starting with a higher base,” Kopp said. “And it takes a lesser tide to cause flooding.”