Future societies may not need driverless cars so much as driverless boats.
By 2100, research suggests that oceans could be up to six feet higher than they currently are. According to a new report from the online real-estate database Zillow, these changes would have enormous (and enormously expensive) consequences for the US housing market, which stands to lose hundreds of billions of dollars worth of property.
The company used data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create detailed maps showing how homes in 10 major cities would be affected by these rising oceans.
Here's what the future could look like.
In Boston, rising sea levels would wipe out nearly a fifth of the entire housing market, most of it consumed by the Charles River.
Zillow
Honolulu is densely populated, which means it wouldn't take much to wipe out entire swaths of homes. Six feet would destroy more than a quarter of the total housing value.
Zillow
The damage in Jacksonville is much more spread out. With its collection of smaller rivers and tributaries, the city has many small coastlines that would struggle to resist overwhelming ocean forces.
Zillow
Damage to Long Beach, California would remain localized near the Alamitos Peninsula, a low-lying region that floods easily and has become a point of study for oceanographers.
Zillow
Miami's greatest weaknesses lie along the eastern coastline and the Miami River, which cuts through the city from the Atlantic.
Zillow
As evidenced by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, New York's Rockaway Beach and other adjacent Brooklyn neighborhoods face the greatest risks. Downtown Manhattan, with its pricey skyscrapers, also could lose a lot.
Zillow
In San Diego, less than 1% of housing faces threats from rising sea levels. What little damage there'd be would occur near Mission Beach, not too far from Sea World
Zillow
Seattle faces a similarly bright scenario. Compared the 30% of Miami homes that could be damaged, the Pacific Northwest city would only see 0.9% destroyed, mostly those near Elliot Bay in the west and Lake Washington to the east.
Zillow
Tampa should fortify two distinct regions in the coming century: the western edge near Old Tampa Bay and the coast off Davis Islands in Hillsborough Bay to the east.
Zillow
Virginia Beach, like Jacksonville, features many winding creeks and rivers whose low banks could result in billions of dollars of property damage. Zillow estimates the cost at nearly $5 billion.
Zillow
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