The Effects of Rising Sea Levels
Introduction:
Over the last several decades, climate change has evolved from a polarizing discussion to what will likely be the largest collaborative research project of our generation. While many aspects of climate change are still misunderstood, there is little debate that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rising at an alarming rate. This rise is considered the main cause behind an increase in global temperature, which has set in motion a chain reaction of climatic events.
Atmospheric carbon impacts the temperature of the Earth because it is a greenhouse gas. When visible light from the sun heats the surface of the earth, some of the energy is transmitted back towards the
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While thermal expansion is difficult to observe on a small scale, such as a glass of water, it can have a significant impact on a massive volume of water such as the combined oceans of the world. Melting land ice, the other major factor in the sea-level rise, is a more straightforward issue. As global temperature increases, land-based glaciers and ice will melt sooner and accumulate later. Naturally, this runoff will lead to an increase in the total amount of water in the ocean.
The combination of these and other trends was an estimated average sea-level increase of 1.5mm per year between 1961 and 2003, which reached 2.4mm per year in the decade from 1993 to 2003. The decades prior to this trend showed only minor fluctuations in sea-level, suggesting that the current rate exceeds what could be caused by natural cycles. While the exact impact of rising oceans is difficult to determine, it is certain that the consequences will include some degree of flooding, integration of salt water into water tables, and a loss of land due to coastal erosion and submersion.6
Hypothesis:
Decades of research suggest that sea-levels are rising, and will continue to rise as a result of climate change. This rise will have the most immediate and significant impact on
The rise of sea levels are projected to increase warmer waters from one and a half to two degrees in Central North Pacific in 2050, 1.9 to 2.6 degrees in Northern Islands, and also two to five degrees in the Caribbean at the end of this century. This rise of temperature decreases the life of ecosystems in the ocean and resulting in less freshwater for
Due to Climate Change, the temperatures are increasing and there is a rise in sea
The Sea Level has increased over the past 200 years as average global temperatures have increased. The rise is due to two factors, the freshwater being added to the oceans from ice melt in the cryosphere, and the thermal expansion of the oceans due to rises in sea temperature. The sea level has risen 6 to 8 inches in the past 100 years. It is predicted to rise another 50 to 90 centimeters in the next century. As the sea level rises it’s jeopardizing rapidly growing coastal communities, which causes evacuation in some areas causing people to lose their homes. Sea level is the effect
Since the 1950s, the amount of heat stored in the ocean has significantly increased. Ocean heat content determines sea surface temperature, it also affects sea level and currents. An overall average of the world’s oceans. Since 1880 sea level has risen at a rate of roughly six-tenths of an inch per decade. In recent years, the rate of increase has increased more rapidly to more than an inch per decade. Sea level has risen the most with an increase of more than 8 inches between 1960 and 2015, along parts of the Gulf coast and the Mid-Atlantic coast. However, sea level has decreased relative to the land in parts of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
According to NASA’s Global Climate Change website, sea level has risen about 85 millimeters since 1993. This rise is quite substantial because a large portion of the population lives at or below sea level. This rise in sea level also hurts several kinds of marine animals such as turtles and seals. These animals require beaches to mate and nest. Without the required amount of beaches many species will go extinct. The rise in sea level was caused because melting sea ice and the expansion of warmer waters stemming from an increase in air temperature.
First of all, There is strong evidence that global sea level is getting higher and will continue to rise during this century. There are some human activities, such as burning of fossil fuels and cutting down tropical forests, have gained atmospheric absorption of heat-trapping gases releases enormous amounts into the air. It means that the Earth’s surface temperature increases, and the oceans absorb that additional heat. There is no doubt that when the ocean is warmer, large ice formations, like glaciers and the polar ice caps, naturally melt back faster and add more water to the oceans. The melting ice caps are raising sea levels at an accelerating rate. According to Howard (2015), “A bombshell climate study published this week warns that
Rising sea levels can also erode shorelines, which will in turn make flooding more severe. Another severe effect of rising sea levels is saltwater intrusion. Saltwater intrusion occurs when saltwater intrudes into groundwater, contaminating drinking supplies, irrigation supplies, and agricultural fields (“Sea Level”). As the ocean temperatures continue to rise, sea level rises with it as seen in Figure 1. This graph shows the rate at which sea levels are rising as ocean temperatures rise. Rising sea level can be contributed to two factors, thermal expansion and melting of sea ice. Since the 1970’s, the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean around the North Pole has been shrinking, and getting thinner. The warmer water and atmosphere causes the Arctic sea ice to melt more than usual during the summer months. Not only will the melting of sea ice have
One important direct precursors that lead to the rise in sea levels include the emissions of greenhouse gases that lead to warmer temperatures (Gornitz et al., 2004). These changes in temperature can result in devastating effects on ecosystems and their inhabitants (Gornitz et al., 2004). It is also important to mention that the temperature in Connecticut has been gradually warming, and reports indicate that the temperature increase is much greater than the increase in the other parts of New England (Gornitz et al., 2004). On the other hand, an indirect precursor that can lead to the rise in sea levels include land use, topography, and land cover that can account for the changeability in temperature. For example, the increase cutting down
How much do you really know about the sea level and how much it changed and the affect it has on the environment and our homes? The sea level has changed a lot and will continue to change as well as change people’s lives and effect the world as a whole because the sea level can affect many things in the world – like people, animals and even the way the world looks today—as well as cause a huge chain reaction of huge changes. Global worming has a hug affected the sea level rising. It is important because if the sea water keeps rising many places will eventually be under water causing them to lose their home or worse. As well as affecting everyone in the world not just some people.
Over time, the world’s climate continues to warm due to sea ice melting in both Greenland and the Antarctic. Many factors impact the climate change and therefore leading to the levels of the sea rising this will certainly be the evidence for many negative effects on many aspects. Which includes the weather pattern changes and further high-risk issues with weather events. The rising sea levels will eventually destroy many regions of our world. In particular, the Pacific Islands. The beautiful lands, where my roots lie. The beautiful lands where my ancestors originate.
Over the past couple of decades, the world has recorded the highest rates in rising sea levels. Statistics are drawn from tide gauge readings, and core samples have revealed that the Global Mean Sea level has risen by ten to twenty centimeters. However, over the last twenty years, the annual rise rate has been 3.2 millimeters a year. This is nearly double the average speed of the previous eighty years. The rise in sea levels means that destructive surges of storm push further into the mainland than they previously did, this also means that there are more cases of frequent nuisance flooding. While we can describe the rising of the sea levels as a natural process, the recent trends are a major cause of concern because the sea level is
Recent studies (such as Wigley and Raper, 1987) have shown that 2 to 5 centimeters in sea level rise, in the period of 1880-1985, can be explained by thermal expansion (Warrick, 1990). Moreover, studies (such as Meier, 1984) have found evidence that 2-6 centimeters of sea level rise can be explained by the melting of glaciers (Warrick, 1990). According to the International Programme for Climate Change’s estimates sea level will rise between “0.3 and 1.0 meter by 2100, with a best-guess estimate of 0.5 meter” (World Resources, 1998-99).
One of the clearest impact of global warming is the rising of the sea level due to the Antarctica melting. In fact, around 90 percent of the Earth’s ice is in Antarctica and because it is
One of the most serious effects of global warming, as it continues to intensify, is the increase in the ocean levels. Thermal expansion of the ocean and glacial melting are likely to cause a .5 to 1.5 meter rise in the ocean level by the year 2100. As the ocean level rises and if no protection is provided, many freshwater supplies could be jeopardized. Tens and possibly hundreds of millions of
Scientists therefore know that, “About half of the past century 's rise in sea level is attributable to warmer oceans simply occupying more space” (National). Depending on the volume of greenhouse gases emitted, “The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported that by 2100 sea levels could rise 28 to 98 centimeters (11 to 38 inches),” and on either end of that scale, Earth would face massive consequences (Folger). The chief cause of sea level rise is definitely the higher temperatures on Earth, but they are not just causing the ocean to expand. Glaciers in the North and South poles are melting at an alarming rate, and their runoff is also a significant contribution to oceans. Scientists believe that, “As it melts the ice from beneath, the warm water is loosening the connection of the glaciers to the ground and to nearby rock,” which then causes them to break off more easily than they would have if attached (Gillis, 11-13-10).