Massive Rise in Sea Level Predicted as Global Warming Hits New Highs

By Tarun Mittal, CP Contributor Friday, January 20, 2017

With Earth setting the highest recorded temperature in 2016, scientists are uncovering worrying signs of a major rise in sea levels.

The research vessel 'Teisten,' carrying U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, cuts through the Kongsfjorden in Ny-Alesund, Norway, the northernmost civilian settlement in the world, en route to the Blomstrand Glacier so the two leaders could see the effects of global warming on the Arctic environment on June 16, 2016. — The research vessel "Teisten," carrying U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, cuts through the Kongsfjorden in Ny-Alesund, Norway, the northernmost civilian settlement in the world, en route to the Blomstrand Glacier so the two leaders could see the effects of global warming on the Arctic environment on June 16, 2016. | U.S. State Department photo

Earth recorded its highest temperature ever in 2016, making it the first time in the modern era that temperatures have increased three years in a row. The unprecedented successive temperature rises have been unequivocally attributed to global warming by the scientific community.

The unusually high temperatures resulted in the melting of vast swathes of ice in the Arctic Circle. If climate change continues at this rate, experts believe it won't be long before temperature extremes pose a threat to humans and the planet itself.

A team of scientists recently studied the patterns in Earth's climate shift and discovered something that indicates a massive rise in sea levels across the globe. Their study, published in the journal Science, finds that today's ocean surface temperatures are the same as those seen during Earth's last warm period some 125,000 years ago. This is a matter of grave concern as the sea level during that bygone period was 20-30 feet (six to nine meters) higher than what it is today.

The Earth undergoes natural climate shifts over tens of thousands of years that cause alternating periods of cold and warmth on the planet. These shifts are influenced by exposure to the Sun, natural variations in Earth's orbit and the greenhouse gases present in the atmosphere. However, the colossal pollution of Earth's atmosphere in the last few centuries due to human activity has caused an accelerated warming pattern on the planet.

The temperature rises that previously took thousands of years are now occurring in a few centuries. "This demonstrates humanity's rapid impact on the planet and raises the possibility of significant longer-term rises in sea level," said Meric Srokosz, a marine physics and ocean climate scientist at the University of Southampton, speaking to Phys.org.

Scientists have predicted that sea levels will rise by more than a few meters in the years to come -- a process that would result in the death or displacement of the 1 billion-odd people who live in coastal communities. But despite the new study all but confirming this scenario, it could still be a while until it comes to pass.

"Due to the length of time it takes to heat up the depths of our vast oceans and to melt giant ice sheets it would take thousands of years before sea level could potentially rise to such levels," said Richard Allan, professor of climate science at the University of Reading, who was not involved in the study. "Sustained and substantive cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from energy-intensive activities remain vital and beneficial to societies," he added.

This study is yet another sign that now is not the time to debate about the scientific validity of climate change, but rather it's the time for immediate and collaborative action to fight it.