Salisbury
THE MAIN IMPACTS:
Erosion Roughly 4,500 acres (40%) are vulnerable to coastal inundation [CIT. 3], with a public beach that has short term erosion rates of more than 2 feet per year [CIT. 4].
Marsh Loss More than half of Salisbury’s coastal area is salt marsh, and up to 978 acres (38%) of high marsh could be lost by 2050 [CIT. 4].
Habitat Concerns At risk are migrating shorebirds, water- fowl, wintering harbor seals, and even foxes.
Developed Coast Buildings behind Salisbury Beach, especially near marsh, could be at-risk of daily tidal and storm flooding in 2050. Rt. 1 (Bridge Road) and buildings near the Merrimack River may be flooded from daily tides [CIT. 1,3].
OCEAN-FACING SHORELINE (5.2 MILES) [CIT. 4]
Shoreline types below can overlap, not cumulative
FUTURE STORM AND TIDAL FLOODING [CIT 1,3]
Blue=Current Shoreline / Red=2050 Chronic Tidal Flooding (MHHW) / Yellow=2050 1% (1 in 100 year) storm flooding
OTHER RISKS INCLUDE:
Property Damage A 10-year storm may flood almost 1,646 buildings (30.3%) in 2050 [CIT. 3]. Chronic daily tidal flooding could impact 512 buildings (9.4%) in 2050 [CIT. 1].
Road Flooding Daily high tides may flood about 2.8 miles (3.4%) of roads in 2050 [CIT. 1]. An estimated 22 miles (26.1%) of roadway could flood in the event of a 100-year storm in 2050 [CIT. 3].
STRATEGY SNAPSHOT: ELEVATING ROADS
Salisbury is considering raising two Ring’s Island roads— March and Ferry Roads—to reduce chronic flooding impacts and ensure public safety. Similarly, The Trustees is working with Ipswich to raise Argilla Road near Crane Beach, while communities elsewhere are turning to so-called “floating roads” (with supports or pontoons) to mitigate climate impacts.