Sea level (Climate Change, Physical Earth) (main)

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Sea level (Climate Change, Physical Earth)


Sealevel.jpg

Global sea level over time. The red line presents the yearly averages derived from tide gauges; the blue area indicates the standard deviation. The inset show an expanded view of the last two decades.

Bloom (2010) Global Climate Change: Convergence of Disciplines. Sinauer Associates.

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  • Sea Level Change in the 21st Century Featured Article Sea Level Change in the 21st Century Sea Level Change in the 21st Century
    Sea level is predicted to rise as higher temperatures expand the volume of ocean waters and melt the snow and ice situated on land masses, particularly Greenland and... More »
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SeaLevelRiseViewer.JPG Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer Last Updated on 2012-07-25 00:00:00 Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer Being able to visualize potential impacts from sea level rise is a powerful teaching and planning tool, and the Sea Level Rise Viewer brings this capability to coastal communities. A slider bar is used to show how various levels of sea level rise will impact coastal communities. Completed areas include Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Florida, and Georgia, with additional coastal counties to be added in the near future. Visuals and the accompanying data and information cover sea level rise inundation, uncertainty, flood frequency, marsh impacts, and socioeconomics. Features of the Sea Level Rise Viewer include: Displaying potential future sea levels Providing simulations of sea level rise at local landmarks Communicating the spatial uncertainty of mapped sea levels Modeling potential marsh migration due... More »
SeaLevel-1 NASA.jpg Future global sea level rise Last Updated on 2012-03-19 00:00:00 The current trajectory for the 21st century global rise of sea level is 2 to 3 feet due to warming of the oceans, partial melting of mountain glaciers and partial melting of Greenland and Antarctica. Global Sea Level Likely to Rise as Much as 70 Feet in Future Generations Scientists looked back in time--in the geologic record--to see the future Even if humankind manages to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit)--as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recommends--future generations will likely have to deal with a completely different world. One with sea levels 40 to 70 feet higher than at present, according to research results published in the journal Geology. The scientists, led by Kenneth Miller of Rutgers University, reached their conclusion by studying rock and soil cores taken in Virginia, New Zealand and the Eniwetok Atoll... More »
Sea level change.jpg Sea Level Change in the 21st Century Last Updated on 2010-12-16 00:00:00 Sea level is predicted to rise as higher temperatures expand the volume of ocean waters and melt the snow and ice situated on land masses, particularly Greenland and Antarctica. Over 20 different GCMs (general circulation models) predict that the sea level will rise by 0.2 m to 0.5 m from 2000 to 2100. These models usually assume that glaciers will keep flowing (moving) at their current speed. Recent observations in Greenland, however, have shown that glacial flows are accelerating. The likely mechanism is that as temperatures increase, the ice along the edges of a glacier melts. This water makes it way to the bottom of the glacier and acts as a lubricant that accelerates the ice flow. An alternative forecast, which takes this phenomenon into account, predicts an even greater change in sea level: the sea level in 2100 will be 0.5 m to 1.2 m higher than in 2000. A rising sea... More »
FAR WG I.jpg IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, Working Group I: Chapter 5 Last Updated on 2010-03-25 19:17:54 Table of Contents Executive Summary 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Changes in Global-Scale Temperature and Salinity 5.2.1 Background 5.2.2 Ocean Heat Content 5.2.3 Ocean Salinity 5.2.4 Air-Sea Fluxes and Meridional Transports 5.3 Regional Changes in Ocean Circulation and Water Masses 5.3.1 Introduction 5.3.2 Atlantic and Arctic Oceans Box 5.1: Has the Meridional Overturning Circulation in the Atlantic Changed? 5.3.3 Pacific Ocean 5.3.4 Indian Ocean 5.3.5 Southern Ocean 5.3.6 Relation of Regional to Global Changes 5.4 Ocean Biogeochemical Changes 5.4.1 Introduction 5.4.2 Carbon 5.4.3 Oxygen 5.4.4 Nutrients 5.4.5 Biological Changes Relevant to Ocean Biogeochemistry 5.4.6... More »
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