Float Switches & Sea Level Rise

Sea levels have been on the rise for more than a century, and the rate of sea-level rise has accelerated in recent years. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, global sea levels are rising by about an eighth of an inch every year. For coastal cities in the United States and around the world, this is bad news.

As sea levels continue to rise, coastal regions will experience more problems with flooding, and storm surges will push farther inland than they had in the past. In a future where sea levels continue to rise, float switches and liquid level sensors are going to play an important role in protecting the lives, property and resources of communities that are impacted by sea level rise.

Environmental Monitoring

The ability to monitor sea level rise is one of the most important concerns when it comes to protecting communities and managing resources. Government agencies, researchers and businesses all have an interest in rising seas, and our ability to manage and monitor sea levels will be critical for tasks like protecting drinking water supplies and protecting against floods.

At the current time, the greatest concern is for coastal cities like New York and Miami, but the threat of sea level is going to increase for other coastal cities, and there is also going to be an increased concern for communities that are farther from the coast. As the seas continue to rise and weather patterns change, the risk will expand beyond the coasts, and inland communities may need to place added concern on managing water supplies and protecting against floods.

Communities are going to depend on liquid level sensors and float switches as they try to mitigate the damage from rising sea levels. This will include monitoring things like groundwater levels and measuring the levels in various regional waterways.

Float Switches Protecting Against Floods

One of the more serious problems is going to be the increase in frequency and severity of flooding. It is already estimated that nuisance flooding is up by 300 to 900 percent when compared to just 50 years ago, and these trends are only going to increase as sea levels rise.

In these coastal cities, flood detection systems play an important role in protecting against the loss of human life and damage to property. Instruments like float switches and hydrostatic pressure sensors are critical components that make these flood detection systems possible.

The threat of sea level rise is increasing, and it is only going to grow. As the risks increase, communities are going to need float switches to provide monitoring in at risk areas and at points that will provide the early warning that is necessary for effective flood emergency protocols.