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Agency tasked with tracking sea level rise could have its budget slashed

Posted at 4:17 PM, Mar 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-07 11:14:32-05

As sea levels rise, the administration tasked with tracking climate change may see its budget drop.

The Washington Post reports President Trump's proposed budget will cut funding to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) by 17 percent.

Every time Dr. Leonard Berry, a researcher at Florida Atlantic University, looks out at the ocean, he see's a warning.

"It's not something in the future. It's something that's happening now."

Berry worries if the reports are true, that the Trump administration plans to slash NOAA's budget by 17 percent.

Some of the programs cut would include research for coastal management and coastal resilience.

Scientists say that information is crucial for protecting ourselves from storms and rising seas.

"The consequences for us is that we will have gaps in our information that makes us more vulnerable," says Berry.

He predicts sea levels could rise as much as 2 feet by 2060 in the Florida area.

Berry has already reached out to the president and newly appointed Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.

The Trump administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce did not respond for comment.