Design review: Improving a good news graphic

The New York Times published an interesting story containing a very good news graphic, combining a map and a statistical graphic to show that along the East Coast the ocean is not only rising but also the land is sinking. This leads to a lot of floods, with a forecast of more and more to come.

Here is my design review suggesting how the map+statistical graphic might be improved, when done not under deadline and not under the heavy hand of NYTimes style guides.