In the Northern California Bay Area, the weather has never pulled its punches. Storms pound the shorelines, king tides swallow streets and wind-driven wildfires blast through the forests. But the ocean and coasts in the region are bringing additional challenges, as rising sea levels push the waters of the bay higher and soil compaction sinks the land.

By 2050, according to a NASA-led study , sea levels in California are projected to rise between 6 and 14.5 inches above the average of levels recorded in the last quarter of the past century. During the next 25 years, Bay Area sea levels could increase even more, by over 17 inches, which would especially affect the city of San Rafael, in Marin County, one of the lowest-lying areas along the bay shoreline.

Due to the risks posed by the risin

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