A new study led by Tulane University researchers finds record-breaking rates of sea-level rise along the U.S. Southeast and Gulf coasts since 2010. River-Coastal Science and Engineering Professor, Sonke Dangendorf, says these rapid rates are unprecedented and attributed to the effects of man-made and natural climate changes.
“We have found rates of ten millimeters per year or even higher and at many locations that mean a five-fold increase in comparison to rates since the beginning of the twentieth century.”
Researchers investigated different causes, such as vertical land motion, ice-mass loss, and air pressure, but none of them could sufficiently explain the recent rate. Dangendorf says the widespread acceleration that extends from the Gulf of Mexico into the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Seas is independent of the subsidence in the area.
“This has been caused basically by the warming of the oceans and a change in wind patterns over the tropical North Atlantic and that has come on top of the subsidence.”
Scientists believe rates will likely return to more moderate levels but it is not time to give an all-clear. Dangendorf says these high rates of sea-level rise have put more stress on vulnerable coastlines, particularly in Louisiana and Texas where land is also sinking rapidly.
“It shows us again that we need to adapt and that we need to prepare for sea levels. Sea levels will continue to rise whether we were to screen greenhouse gas emissions or not.”
Dangendorf said the results demonstrate the urgency of the climate crisis for the Gulf region and interdisciplinary along with collaborative efforts are needed to sustainably face these challenges.
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