In
a city where "sunny day floods" increased 400% in a decade, rising seas are changing the old real estate mantra of "location, location, location." In Miami these days, it's all about elevation, elevation, elevation.
And long before melted ice caps wash over Ocean Drive, one of America's most vulnerable big cities is becoming a test case for the modern problem of climate gentrification.
While some scientific models predict enough polar ice melt to bring at least 10 feet of sea level rise to South Florida by 2100,
just a modest 12 inches would make 15% of Miami uninhabitable, and much of that beachside property is among America's most valuable.
Even now, as more frequent "king tides" bubble up through Florida's porous limestone, pushing fish through sewers and onto streets,
residents are becoming more aware that their city is built on the rippling shelves, ridges and canyons of a fossil seabed.
"Water is simply going back to the same places it flowed ages ago," says Sam Purkis, Chair of the University of Miami's Geosciences Department.
"The irony is what happened 125,000 years ago is going to dictate what happens to your house now."
The fickle undulations between city blocks could mean the difference between survival and retreat, and the rising cost of altitude is sparking a noticeable shift in community activism and municipal budgets.
