(ORDO NEWS) — This estimate comes from NASA experts who analyzed 30 years of satellite sea level data.
The news is not pleasant. Since 1993, sea levels have risen by a total of 9.1 centimeters. Two years ago, he rose by 0.27 centimeters.
This annual rise from 2021 to 2022 may not seem like much, but it is a harbinger. Even with small shifts caused by natural forces such as La Niña (which periodically cools the oceans), sea levels continue to rise.
Based on ongoing long-term satellite measurements, the projected rate of sea level rise will reach 0.66 centimeters per year by 2050.
NASA has estimated that by 2050, water levels along the US coastline could rise as much as 30 centimeters above current levels. The situation may also worsen in other parts of the world.
The culprit in all of this is climate change, which is caused by excess amounts of greenhouse gases. Climate change has a number of impacts around the globe, but this is especially evident in the Earth‘s ice sheets.
In the past year alone, the Antarctic ice sheet has experienced above-average melting, even when summer temperatures are taken into account.
The stability of the Greenland ice has changed a lot, and today the Greenland Ice Sheet is a major contributor to sea level rise.
This is because its runoff and water from the Antarctic ice adds more fresh water to the ocean, and warming causes sea water to expand and seas to rise as a result.
The best and most accurate way to track ocean level rise is with satellites. The US-French TOPEX/Poseidon mission began measuring sea surface heights in 1993.
Since then, sea level observations have continued through missions led by NASA, ESA and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Scientific and technological innovations are helping to produce ever more accurate sea level measurements around the world.
To calculate the height of the sea, they reflect microwave signals from the surface of the ocean.
They then record the time it takes for the signal to travel from the satellite to the Earth and back, as well as the strength of the return signal.
“We have a clear picture of recent sea level rise – and we can better predict how much and how fast the oceans will continue to rise because NASA and the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) have collected decades of ocean observations.
By combining this data with measurements from the rest of the NASA fleet, we can also understand why the ocean is rising,” said Karen St. Germain, director of the NASA Earth Sciences Division.
The 30-year satellite record not only shows long-term trends, but also allows scientists to see short-term shifts that occur naturally.
“It helps us identify trends that tell us where sea levels are moving,” said researcher Ben Hamlington, who leads NASA’s science team on sea level change.
Effects of sea level rise at ground level
All of these fundamental observations are important for understanding the effects of climate change.
But they also help shape the types of services federal and international agencies offer to coastal communities. These are the places that need to prepare for rising water levels.
At least 800 million people will face a rise in water levels of at least half a meter.
From a practical point of view, places like Miami, New York, Bangkok, Shanghai, Lima (Peru), Cape Town and many others will be constantly subject to seawater intrusions.
In these places there are large seaports, as well as recreation areas and other facilities. The main physical effects of sea level rise also threaten wildlife populations, delta regions, swamps and wetlands.
These are just a few of the effects of climate change and how it is raising sea levels.
This is why constellations of satellites track not only the rise in sea water levels, but also the concentration of gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide.
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