Sea level rise is accelerating rapidly, and U.S. coasts could see another foot of water on average by 2050, according to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report released Tuesday.
The report predicted 10 to 12 inches of additional sea level rise by midcentury, though projections for specific regions and communities varied because of changes in land height. Some parts of the coastal U.S. are subsiding, while others are experiencing uplift or rebound.
“The United States is expected to experience as much sea level rise in 30 years as we saw over the span of the entire last century,” Rick Spinrad, the NOAA administrator, said. “Current and future emissions matter, but this will happen no matter what we do about emissions.”
Rising seas could hamper economies, cause more dramatic flooding, inundate freshwater areas with salt and cause a host of other problems.
Scientists have been narrowing in on ranges for sea level rise, and the new projections are more certain and less tied to future emissions scenarios.
“2050 is in our headlights, and we can speak with confidence and clarity about what will occur,” William Sweet, a NOAA oceanographer, said.
The report’s findings are based on tide gauge data, satellite data, increasingly powerful climate modeling and other coastal monitoring measurements.
March 29, 201906:14
The East Coast, in general, can expect more sea level rise than average because of coastal subsidence — sinking land.
Flooding risks will rise dramatically by midcentury, the NOAA experts said.
“A single flooding event, one that now happens every four to five years on average in coastal communities in the southeast United States, will happen four to five times every year,” Nicole LeBoeuf, an assistant administrator for NOAA’s National Ocean Service, said.
Beyond 2050, emissions choices will play a larger role in setting the course for sea level rise.
If emissions continue at their pace, seas will rise by at least 2 feet by the end of the century, according to Spinrad.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
