Once land subsidence was factored in, “the storms rank slightly lower — as the fourth- and eighth-highest storm tides,” according to researchers. It turns out about the half-foot of sea level rise Boston has seen since the 1800s is due to subsidence.
New research by Dr. Roger Bezdek shows that excessive groundwater pumping, not manmade "global warming," is the primary cause of subsidence in coastal areas studied -- subsidence that gives the false appearance of sea level rise. The best way to protect these coastal lands is to stop or sharply curtail groundwater pumping that collapses water tables and leads all too often to saltwater intrusion.