Study: Sinking ground in parts of Chesapeake Bay area will worsen flooding from rising sea levels and storm surges

New research by Virginia Tech scientists shows that sections of the Chesapeake Bay are sinking at rates of nearly a quarter an inch—or 7 millimeters—a year. Further, up-to-date knowledge of where the ground in the Chesapeake Bay area is sinking and by how much is not included in the official planning maps that authorities use to assess the local flooding risk from rising sea levels, the researchers said.