NASA's Earth Observatory just released an awe-inspiring photo (in the slideshow above) that shows just why so many Floridians are at risk to tropical cyclones and global sea level rise.
The photo, taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in October 2014, shows Florida's peninsula illuminated at night. As NASA notes, the brightest areas in the photo indicate the most populous areas in the state. Notably, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metro area, home to 5.6 million people, is the most noticeable blip on the landscape, lighting up the entire southeastern coast of Florida a brilliant white.
Global sea level rise is another risk to the millions along Florida's coast. Since 1880, sea levels along the Florida coast have risen by nearly a foot, and are projected to rise another 3 to 6 feet by the end of the century due to climate change. So great is the concern for sea level rise in the coastal areas of South Florida, where some areas are currently just five feet above sea level, that local politicians in South Miami, Florida, recently proposed splitting Florida into two separate states, North and South Florida, in order to better sort out sea level rise implications.
http://www.wunderground.com/news/nasa-photo-florida-coast-night-20141119
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