they don t appear to be related. one sailor died aboard the ship on april 15. the others were found days earlier at separate offsite locations. coastal cities across the country are being warned that sea levels are projected to rise up to an additional foot by the year 2050 due to climate change. as part of our earth 365 series, cbs ben tracy takes a look at an extraordinary project that could save america s coastlines. reporter: how high did the water go? it was over eight feet high where those little waves are. reporter: bill merrell will never forget the night he spent trapped inside this building in galveston, texas, as hurricane ike slammed ashore in 2008. the storm caused $30 billion in damage. it was probably a thirst yer storm. reporter: merrell, an oceanographer at texas a&m, was reminded of the giant floodgates he had seen in the netherlands. these are gates you can see from space.