An article by Peter Hess a few days ago on inverse.com shows the alarming rate of sea level rise revealed by 25 Years of Satellite Data. Scientists using satellites and carefully correcting for such atmospheric anomalies as the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, various calibration errors, and the fact that the sea floor is sinking, have determined that sea level is indeed rising, and in fact is rising faster and faster each year. Not by much — only 0.8mm/year — but it adds up. The scientists calculate that by 2100 sea level will rise 77cm.
At 2.54 cm/inch, that’s about 2 and a half feet — not inconsequential for many coastal cities around the world. And, the rate at which sea level rises is expected to increase as the climate gets warmer, the melting of ice at both poles speeds up, and water expands as it warms. A mass extinction in our lifetimes may be alarmist, but if you own beachfront property, it’s time to start thinking about selling.
