Chesapeake Bay and Global Warming - Upper Tidewater Region The
extensive tidal swamp, brackish marsh, and tidal flat habitats
of the Upper Tidewater Region could undergo major shifts due to
global warming. If sea level rises 27.2 inches this century, the
region would face: - 30 percent decline in tidal swamp - 85
percent decline in the area of brackish marsh - 76 percent
decline in tidal flats - Plum Tree Island National Wildlife
Refuge, home to many species of migratory waterfowl, largely
disappears. At the same time, that amount of sea-level rise is
projected to cause a 33 percent expansion of freshwater swamp
area, which includes both forested and scrub-shrub habitat, with
notable expansion into the undeveloped dry land along Mobjack
Bay. Overall, the area of undeveloped dry land across this site
declines by 17 percent, or 45,611 acres. For more in-depth
information about how the Chesapeake Bay is being impacted by
global warming, check out the following reports: Sea-Level Rise
and Coastal Habitats of the