Sea Level Rise
View Sea Level Rise Gallery
There will always be beaches, but sea level rise will ensure that they will not be in the same place in the future. The beaches will still exist throughout this change, but many of the buildings may not. Efforts to save development, however do threaten beaches, such as shoreline armoring structures.
Although relative amounts of rise may seem very small, only a few millimeters per year, the cumulative effect of these small rises each year over a long period of time (100+ years) causes major problems. Accelerated rates of erosion are attributed to sea level rise and erosion causes large economic losses around the world each year due to the close proximity of buildings and critical infrastructure. This includes transportation systems, gas and oil lines as well as electricity lines and power plants.
Most developed coasts and beaches have buildings very close to the ocean leaving little room for the ever-expanding ocean. The future effects of sea level rise on coastal civilization over the entire world are of great concern. Over half of the world’s population lives within 100 km of the coast. Over the next 50 years, damage due to coastal development will be devastating, but if the rate of sea level rise increases, the results could be catastrophic. This issue threatens areas from New York City in the United States to the Pearl River Delta in China to the Maldives.
The world map below allows you to see elevations of coastal areas. Areas in red are the lowest in elevation and are most prone to flooding. Check out Manhattan in New York City. If you think the situation there looks dire, be sure to check out the effects of a 2 m rise in sea level on Pearl River Delta in China, home to more than 40 million people. Map courtesy of globalwarmingart.com
Surfing in / Sea Level Rise
Strong El Niño could bring increased sea levels, storm surges to U.S. East Coast
Coastal communities along the U.S. East Coast may be at risk to higher sea levels accompanied by more destructive storm surges in future El Niño years, according to a new study by NOAA.
Forests soak up third of fossil fuel emissions: study
An international team of climate scientists released a study showing the role global forests have played as regulators of the atmosphere. This is the first complete and global evidence of the overwhelming role of forests in removing anthropogenic carbon dioxide.
US West Coast Erosion Spiked In Winter 2009-10, Previewing Likely Future As Climate Changes
Knowing that the U.S. west coast was battered during the winter before last by a climatic pattern expected more often in the future, scientists have now pieced together a San Diego-to-Seattle assessment of the damage wrought by that winter’s extreme waves and higher-than-usual water levels.
Shifting Sands and Rising Seas
“In a time of rising seas, it is senseless and dangerous to build on barrier islands.” World-renowned coastal geologist Orrin H. Pilkey and artist Mary Edna Fraser, an internationally recognized master of the textile art of batik, bring an understanding of coastal geology and global change to the public in a way that is scientifically astute and visually intriguing. By Celie Daily and Orrin Pilkey.
Australia Carbon Pollution Tax Announcement: A Start!
Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard, is on Sunday due to unveil the full detail of her carbon tax legislation, which will see the country’s top 500 polluters charged per tonne of carbon dioxide they emit into the atmosphere.
Our Expanding Oceans, and Global Climate Change: A Primer
Our Expanding Oceans exhibit is based on a new book, “Global Climate Change: A Primer,” written by renowned climate scientist Orrin Pilkey and son Keith Pilkey. To visually emphasize the effects of climate change, the book is illustrated with Mary Edna Fraser’s striking batik paintings. The exhibit featuring over 50 batiks on silk, opened at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
Average U.S. temperature increases by 0.5 degrees F
The climate of the 2000s is about 1.5 degree F warmer than the 1970s.
Islands Going Under, The Carteret Islands
The Carteret Islands off the coast of Papua New Guinea are drowning… What should have been an idyllic South Pacific paradise, is rapidly turning into a climate change disaster site.
Study details significant sea level rise
Since the late 19th century, sea level has risen by more than 2 millimeters per year on average, the steepest rate for more than 2,100 years. The new study does not predict the future, yet it does show “there is a very close link between sea level and temperature. So for the 21st century when temperatures will rise, so will sea level.”
