by Daniel Brouse
February 18, 2025
The rising sea level is a slow process relative to a human life. Well, at least it used to be. The rise in sea level has been doubling. When Sidd and I started our research, the rise in sea level was doubling every 100 years. Then, as climate change accelerated, that time dropped to 10 years by 2020. In the last five years, the doubling time has dropped to 2 years.
Today the impacts are being realized. The Key Largo tree cactus (Pilosocereus millspaughii) is recognized as the first species in the United States to experience local extinction due to sea level rise. This cactus, once native to the Florida Keys, was last observed in the wild in 2018. Researchers attribute its disappearance to factors associated with rising sea levels, such as saltwater intrusion and increased soil salinity, which have degraded its coastal habitat.
While the Key Largo tree cactus remains extant in parts of the Caribbean, including northern Cuba and the Bahamas, its loss in the U.S. underscores the profound impact of climate change on native species and highlights the urgent need for conservation efforts to protect vulnerable habitats.