New Research Study Warns Of "Accelerating" Sea Level Rise
A recently released set of scientific papers on global sea level rise warns that the phenomenon of rising sea levels is accelerating and if unchecked, will have devastating effects on coastal communities all over the world, including the United States. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, up to 13.1 million U.S. residents living in the country's coastal areas will be forced to move to higher ground if mitigating and protective measures are not taken to slow down the already alarming rate of rising sea levels.
The report cites a set of research studies released by the notable Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S. which looked at several factors that contribute to sea level rise, such as the changes in the Antartic ice sheet through time; the sources of sea level rise which include the melting of ice sheets, the melting of glaciers, the movement of continents; a historical study of the relationship between temperature and sea level and lastly, a study that uses historical information in order to predict sea levels in the next 100 years or so. According to another report in The Guardian, the study predicts that "unless societies make significant changes," sea level is expected to rise by as much as three feet by the year 2100.
The Guardian also presented a summary of the report and its relevance in the wake of the issues of climate change, which was shared by the lead author of the report, Matthew Hauer. He pointed to human activities or influence that affected the "equilibrium" of the world's oceans, glaciers and ice sheet, which has contributed to sea level rise. Their model was able to "make probabilistic projections of sea level rise incorporating the main uncertainties." He added, "While stopping sea level rise within this century is unlikely, our projections confirm that the world can still choose from a spectrum of sea level futures. It mainly depends on how much heat-trapping gases will be emitted. To avoid the risk of 1.3 meter higher seas in 2100, mankind needs to cut its carbon emissions."
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In the Los Angeles Times report, Hauer cited that coastal communities in the U.S. are rapidly growing and their populations expanding, which means that these areas are becoming high-risk areas if sea level rise continues unabated. Looking specifically at the U.S., the study's findings, according to the report will affect 4.2 million people in the country's coastal areas if the sea level will rise by 3 feet. If the sea level will rise by 6 feet, this is when 13.1 million coastal residents will need to find a new place to live.
