"Effects are so bad of saltwater intrusion"

Of climate change's many plagues --drought,insects,fires,floods -- saltwater intrusion in particular sounds almost like a biblical curse.Rising seas,sinking earth and extreme weather are conspiring to cause salt from the ocean to contaminate aquifers and turn formerly fertile fields barren.A 2016 study in the journal science predicated that 9 percent of the U.S. coastline is vulnerable to saltwater intrusion -- a percentage likely to grow as the world continues to warm.Scientists are just beginning to assess the potential effect on agriculture,East Carolina University hydrologist Alex Manda said, and it's not yet clear how much can be mitigated.If farmer in coastal areas have any hope of protecting their land and their livelihoods.The first step is to disentangle  the complex web of causes that can send ocean water seeping into the ground beneath their feet."We spend a lot of time and money to try to prevent salt,"farmer Dawson Pugh says."I worry what the future is." If it keeps getting worse, will it be worth farming?"