The Sea Level is Rising and looked at as a concern in the future. It is found that the Sea Levels rising due to both Sinking Land and Global Warming will bring greater flood risks to large parts of the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts over the next three decades. It could also contribute to more frequent flooding.
A new report led by the Scientists at the National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration warns US that it should be prepared for 10 to 12 inches of relative sea level rise on an average. This is over a period of next 30 years. The higher level of ocean can also bring seawater farther inland.
A geologist explains two main factors contributing to the Sea Level Rise due to Global Warming, in an article published by Phys.Org on the 16th February 2022. They are Ocean Thermal Expansion and melting of Land Ice.
Ocean Thermal Expansion
As per the article, the Ocean Thermal Expansion is explained as follows.
“As greenhouse gases from fossil fuel use and other human activities accumulate in the atmosphere, they trap energy that would otherwise escape into space. That energy causes average global surface temperatures to rise, especially the upper layers of the ocean.
Thermal expansion happens when the ocean heats up. The heat causes sea water molecules to move slightly farther apart, taking up more space. The result is the ocean rises higher, flooding more land.”
Melting Land Ice
The article says that Mountain glaciers and polar ice sheets are diminishing at rates faster than natural systems can replace them.
When land ice melts, that melt-water eventually flows into the ocean, adding new quantities of water to the ocean and increasing the total ocean mass. About 50% of global sea level rise was induced by land ice melt during the past several decades.
Read the complete article published at Phys.Org here
