A Present Danger

Figure 1 - Graph showing past average global sea level values and projections for the future based upon scenarios run by The IPCC.
Source: The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007.

“Global average sea level rose at an average rate of 1.8 ± 0.5 mm per year over 1961 to 2003 and at an average rate of about 3.1 ± 0.7 mm per year from 1993 to 2003.”^[1]

These were the findings presented in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); Climate Change Synthesis Report (2007).

Theses finding show a marked increase in rate of sea level change from 1993 to 2003, this may simply be due to natural decadal variations in sea level, it could however also signify a more alarming problem, the effects recent anthropogenic warming is having on the rate of sea level change.

Such increases in sea level will have major effects on societies, both those in low lying coastal areas likely to be flooded, and those that will feel the secondary effects caused by increased pressure from displaced populations looking for refuge on their lands and resources. Not to mention the massive environmental impacts caused by the flooding and disruption (if not in most cases destruction) of unique ecosystems that form where land and water intersect.

This disruption/destruction will be the main theme discussed in the next few months within these blog posts.

References

[1] -Bindoff, N.L., J. Willebrand, V. Artale, A, Cazenave, J. Gregory, S. Gulev, K. Hanawa, C. Le Quéré, S. Levitus, Y. Nojiri, C.K. Shum, L.D. Talley and A. Unnikrishnan, 2007: Observations: Oceanic Climate Change and Sea Level. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA.