Sea levels are rising several times faster than in the past
2 , 800 years and are accelerating because of man - made
global warming, according to new studies . An
international team of scientists dug into two dozen
locations across the globe to chart gently rising and
falling seas over centuries and millennia . Until the 1880s
and the world’ s industrialization , the fastest rise in sea
levels was about 3 cm to 4cm a century, plus or minus a
bit.
During that time the global sea level really did not get
much higher or lower than 7 . 62 cm above or below the
2 , 000- year average . But in the 20 th century the world’ s
seas rose 14 cm . Since 1993 the rate has soared to 30 cm
and two different studies , published on Monday in the
journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ,
said that by 2100 the world’ s oceans would rise between
28 and 131cm , depending on how much heat - trapping
gas Earth ’ s industries and vehicles expel .
“ There ’ s no question that the 20 th century is the fastest , ”
said Bob Kopp , Rutgers earth and planetary sciences
professor and the lead author of the study that looked
back at sea levels over the past three millennia . “ It ’ s
because of the temperature increase in the 20 th century,
which has been driven by fossil fuel use . ”
If seas continue to rise as projected, another 45 cm of
sea - level rise will cause lots of problems and expense ,
especially with surge during storms , said study c o- author
Stefan Rahmstorf , of the Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research in Germany .
2 , 800 years and are accelerating because of man - made
global warming, according to new studies . An
international team of scientists dug into two dozen
locations across the globe to chart gently rising and
falling seas over centuries and millennia . Until the 1880s
and the world’ s industrialization , the fastest rise in sea
levels was about 3 cm to 4cm a century, plus or minus a
bit.
During that time the global sea level really did not get
much higher or lower than 7 . 62 cm above or below the
2 , 000- year average . But in the 20 th century the world’ s
seas rose 14 cm . Since 1993 the rate has soared to 30 cm
and two different studies , published on Monday in the
journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ,
said that by 2100 the world’ s oceans would rise between
28 and 131cm , depending on how much heat - trapping
gas Earth ’ s industries and vehicles expel .
“ There ’ s no question that the 20 th century is the fastest , ”
said Bob Kopp , Rutgers earth and planetary sciences
professor and the lead author of the study that looked
back at sea levels over the past three millennia . “ It ’ s
because of the temperature increase in the 20 th century,
which has been driven by fossil fuel use . ”
If seas continue to rise as projected, another 45 cm of
sea - level rise will cause lots of problems and expense ,
Stefan Rahmstorf , of the Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research in Germany .
