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Showing posts with the label Sea Levels

Sea level rise is rapid and unstoppable unless Paris Agreement targets met

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Nature Aggressive efforts to limit global warming will sharply reduce future sea-level rise,  suggests a paper published in Nature.  Icebergs in Sermilik Fjord, SE Greenland Credit: Donald Slater A second paper, also published in Nature, indicates that warming of 3 °C could cause sea level to increase by 0.5 cm every year by 2100 as a result of melting Antarctic land ice. The findings provide further insight into the impact of melting land ice on global sea-level rises. This animation shows the rate at which the ice thickness is changing in meters per year (more red/yellow means faster thinning and thus faster ice loss) as the Antarctic Ice Sheet responds to changes in the atmosphere and ocean due to one potential climate scenario. This simulation, using the BISICLES ice sheet model, represents one of hundreds of such simulations used for this work to characterize ice sheet response to changes in the climate. Credit: Daniel Martin and Courtney Shafer. Since 1993, land ice has contribu

Unsettling currents: Warm water flowing beneath Antarctica’s ’Doomsday Glacier'

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Science Daily The calving front of Thwaites Ice Shelf looking at the ice below the water's surface as seen from the NASA DC-8 on Oct. 16, 2012.  Data from underneath Thwaites Glacier, also known as the Doomsday Glacier. Story here.

Unprecedented mass loss expected for the Greenland Ice Sheet

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Nature (With some minor editing by PinP.) The edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet.  Credit: Jason Briner Mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet is predicted to be higher in this century than any time in the past 12,000 years. The simulations, published in Nature, are based on high-carbon-emission scenarios and consider the southwestern region of Greenland. The findings add to a body of evidence that suggests that reducing carbon emissions is needed to decrease the contribution of the Greenland Ice Sheet to sea-level rise. As the Arctic warms, the Greenland Ice Sheet has been losing mass and contributing to sea-level rise. That loss rate has increased dramatically since the 1990s. But are those rates and ones projected for the future unexpected? Or, are they just related to "natural variability?" To answer that question, Jason Briner and colleagues produced high-resolution simulations based on geological observations covering southwestern Greenland for the past 12,000 years that

Climate Change: Life’s a beach - a disappearing one!

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natureresearch A Pexels photo. Half of the world's beaches, many of which are in densely populated areas, could disappear by the end of the century under current trends of climate change and sea level rise, suggests a paper published in  Nature Climate Change .  Sandy beaches occupy more than one third of the global coastline and have high socio-economic value. Beaches also provide natural coastal protection from marine storms and cyclones. However, erosion, rising sea levels and changing weather patterns threaten the shoreline, its infrastructure and populations. Michalis Vousdoukas and colleagues analysed a database of satellite images showing shoreline change from 1984 to 2015. The authors extrapolated historical trends to predict future shoreline dynamics under two different climate change scenarios. They determined the ambient shoreline change, driven by physical factors (geological or anthropogenic) and shoreline retreat due to sea level rise. They als

Rising sea levels pose threat to homes of 300m people – study

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The Guardian Photo by  Christian Ferrer Figure based on new analysis of coastlines is more than three times previous estimate. Story here.

Lancet Study Warns of Global Health Crisis and 1 Billion Climate Refugees by 2050

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CommonDreams "We are only just beginning to feel the impacts of climate change."  Story here. Waves crash against the International Airport of Nauro,  a small Pacific island country. Photo - Matt Robertson 

Global fingerprints of sea-level rise revealed by satellites

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NATURE|NEWS Geological processes send more meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets to Earth's mid-latitudes. Story here. Greenland. Photo by Uffe Wilken

Satellite snafu masked true sea-level rise for decades

nature.com Revised tallies confirm that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating as the Earth warms and ice sheets thaw. Story here. RELATED:  Angry Oceans. How Sea Level Rise is Impacting the World, including Atlantic Canada. (Story & Audio Podcast) Angry Oceans...the Second in a Series Looking at the Impact of Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise on Atlantic Canadians. (Video)

Planet in Peril. Famine in Africa. Sea-Level Rise in Atlantic Canada. (Video)

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Angry Oceans...the Second in a Series Looking at the Impact of Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise on Atlantic Canadians. (Video)

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RELATED: Episode One: " Angry Oceans. How Sea Level Rise is Impacting the World, including Atlantic Canada. (Story & Audio Podcast) "

Angry Oceans. How Sea Level Rise is Impacting the World, including Atlantic Canada. (Story & Audio Podcast)

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by Larry Powell NEEPAWA, MB:   Even tho I live in a little landlocked town on the Canadian prairies, I’ve long been fascinated with the role our oceans play in the evolution of manmade climate change. And, as a science writer, I also do lots of research, trying to keep on top of the issue.  So, when I learned that  “The Science Media Centre of Canada,”  was sponsoring a “webinar” on climate change and sea level rise, I jumped at the chance to take part. (A webinar is a live, online event, a bit like a modern day teleconference.) So I tuned in and listened eagerly as four leading experts, three Canadians and an American, laid out in ways that were at once matter-of-fact and alarming, how the phenomenon of rising ocean levels is impacting our planet.  Please read on, listen to the podcast below, or both! Predictions surrounding rising sea levels around the world and the threat they pose to millions of coastal dwellers are sounding mo

Coming Soon. Planet in Peril Will Soon Provide You With a Valuable Insight Into the Impact Rising Sea Levels are Already Having on Canada. (Video Preview)

Sea level rise will double coastal flood risk worldwide

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theguardian Waves crash against the wall at the end of Nauru International Airport's runway.  Rising sea levels pose a serious risk coastal erosion for small Pacific island countries,  Photo: Matt Robertson / DFAT Small but unstoppable increases will double frequency of extreme water levels with dire consequences, say scientists. Story here.

Slice of Greenland ice melts into oblivion

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climate news network Eastern Greenland. Photo by  Algkalv   Coastal glaciers in terminal decline as Greenland ice runs into the ocean and threatens to raise sea levels by the end of the century. Story here.

Last Remnant Of North American Ice Sheet On Track To Vanish

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News Network Archaeology

Global sea ice has reached a record low – should we be worried?

NewScientist It’s an internet sensation. An alarming graph showing the global area of sea ice falling to unprecedented lows for this time of year has gone viral. Story here.

Ghost Forests: How Rising Seas Are Killing Southern U.S. Woodlands

environment360 A steady increase in sea levels is pushing saltwater into U.S. wetlands, killing trees from Florida to as far north as New Jersey. But with sea level projected to rise by as much as six feet this century, the destruction of coastal forests is expected to become a worsening problem worldwide. Story here.

Scientists Nearly Double Sea Level Rise Projections For 2100

The Washington Post Sea levels could rise nearly twice as much as previously predicted by the end of this century if carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated, an outcome that could devastate coastal communities around the globe, according to new research published Wednesday.  The main reason? Antarctica. Details here.

Seas Are Rising at Fastest Rate in Last 28 Centuries

The New York Times The worsening of tidal flooding in American coastal communities is largely a consequence of greenhouse gases from human activity, and the problem will grow far worse in coming decades, scientists reported Monday. Details here.

NOAA: Record Antarctic Sea Ice Growth Linked To Its Staggering Loss Of Land Ice

CLIMATE PROGRESS NOAA said in a news release Tuesday that “as counterintuitive as expanding winter Antarctic sea ice may appear on a warming planet, it may actually be a manifestation of recent warming.” Details here.