“60 Minutes” recently published a story documenting the struggles of sea level rise on Maryland’s Smith Island. 

In a recent story published earlier this week, CBS’s “60 Minutes” documented the impact of sea level rise on Smith Island, located in Somerset County. The island has been inhabited since the 17th century and is renowned for its distinctive dialect and more rural lifestyle. Over the past several decades, the population has nearly halved to roughly 200 residents, primarily due to changing economic conditions.

Hilary Harp Clark, President and CEO of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, to the program,

We’re expecting in Maryland sea level rise of one to two feet by 2050 and by more then four feet by 2100.

Communities all along Maryland’s coasts are grappling with the growing impacts of sea level rise. The Chesapeake Bay is projected to increase an average of four feet by the end of the century. At that level, large swaths of Dorchester and Somerset counties will be under water, and Smith Island will likely be completely submerged.

Watch the full story.

Check out the NOAA sea level rise projections tool. 

At the 2025 MACo Summer Conference general session, “Maryland’s Changing Coastline: What Counties Need to Know,” panelists will explore the critical services our coasts provide, strategies to protect and enhance them, and how counties can adapt to long-term environmental change.