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[[Category:Done 2016-04-30]]  
[[Category:Translated to Spanish]]
<onlyinclude>Global warming causes a '''rising sea level'''. An increasing amount of [[heat]] is trapped by higher levels of of [[greenhouse gas]]es in the [[atmosphere]]. This heat [[ocean heat|warms the oceans]] and [[ice melt|melts ice]].</onlyinclude> Rising sea levels are one of the main [[concerns about climate change]], and are already measurable. The [[mean sea level]] has increased by about 20 [[centimeter]]s in the past century.<ref name=cc1>M. Melieres and C. Marechal, "The impact of warming on the ocean," in ''Climate Change: Past, Present and Future'' 1st ed., U.K.: Wiley, 2015, ch.27, pp. 273-283</ref> Over the past decade, sea levels have risen at twice the rate compared to the last century.<ref name="RE3"> "Global Climate Change: Coastal Consequences of Sea Level Rise", Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. [Online]. Available: http://climate.nasa.gov/resources/education/pbs_modules/lesson3Engage/.
[[es:Subida del nivel del mar]]
[[Category:Translated to French]]
[[fr:Augmentation du niveau de la mer]]
[[Category:Done 2026-08-01]]  
<onlyinclude>Global warming causes a '''rising sea level'''. The increasing amount of [[heat]] trapped by higher levels of of [[greenhouse gas]]es in the [[atmosphere]] [[ocean heat|warms the oceans]] and [[ice melt|melts ice]].</onlyinclude> Rising sea levels is one of the main [[concerns about climate change]], and is already measurable. The [[mean sea level]] has increased by about 20 [[centimeter]]s in the past century.<ref name="cc1">M. Melieres and C. Marechal, "The impact of warming on the ocean," in ''Climate Change: Past, Present and Future'' 1st ed., U.K.: Wiley, 2015, ch.27, pp. 273-283</ref> Over the past decade, sea levels have risen at twice the rate compared to the last century.<ref name="RE3"> "Global Climate Change: Coastal Consequences of Sea Level Rise", Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. [Online]. Available: http://climate.nasa.gov/resources/education/pbs_modules/lesson3Engage/.
</ref>
</ref>


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Figure 1 below shows the changing levels of the oceans since 1993.
Figure 1 below shows the changing levels of the oceans since 1993.
 
[[File:ClimateDashboard-global-sea-levels-map-20240821-1400px.png|center|thumb|620x620px|Figure 1. '''Sea level change from 1993 to 2023'''. Global sea level change is not uniform, with some regions are more than 3x the global average. This is due to the variations in thermal structure of the top 1000 m of the ocean.<ref>NOAA Climate.gov (2023). (Accessed July 15, 2026). ''Sea Level Change (1993-2023)'' [Online]. Available: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level</ref>]]
[[File:SeaLevel.png|700px|thumb|center|Figure 1. '''Sea level change since 1993'''. Global sea level change is not uniform, with some regions are more than 3x the global average. This is due to the variations in thermal structure of the top 1000 m of the ocean.<Ref>NOAA/NESDIS. (Accessed December 28, 2015). ''Sea Level Rise'' [Online], Available: http://www.star.nesdis.noaa.gov/sod/lsa/SeaLevelRise/</ref> ]]


==Consequences==
==Consequences==
Rapidly rising sea levels rise have devastating consequences on coastal regions. As seawater reaches inland, it can cause destructive [[erosion]] and [[flood]]ing, contamination of [[aquifer]]s (called [[salt water intrusion]]), and loss of habitat for fish, plants, animals and humans.<Ref name=ng>National Geographic. (Accessed January 7, 2016). ''Sea Level Rise'' [Online], Available: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-sea-level-rise/</ref>  
Rapidly rising sea levels rise have devastating consequences on coastal regions. As seawater reaches inland, it can cause destructive [[erosion]] and [[flood]]ing, contamination of [[aquifer]]s (called [[salt water intrusion]]), and loss of habitat for fish, plants, animals and humans.<Ref name=ng>National Geographic. (Accessed January 7, 2016). ''Sea Level Rise'' [Online], Available: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-sea-level-rise/</ref>  


When [[extreme weather events]] occur, higher sea levels mean more powerful storms near major cities. Moreover, hundreds of millions of people live in coastal regions that are becoming increasingly vulnerable to flooding.<ref name=ng/> Potential damage as a result of rising sea levels has been studied in detail, and two categories have emerged in terms of which cities will be affected the most: '''highest overall cost of damage''' and '''overall cost as a percentage of [[GDP]]''' (in other words, cities that are poor or have many people, and would be devastated the most by an extreme event).<ref name=wbk/>  
When [[extreme weather events]] occur, higher sea levels mean more powerful storms near major cities. Moreover, hundreds of millions of people live in coastal regions that are becoming increasingly vulnerable to flooding.<ref name=ng/> Potential damage as a result of rising sea levels has been studied in detail, and two categories have emerged in terms of which cities will be affected the most: '''highest overall cost of damage''' and '''overall cost as a percentage of [[GDP]]''' (in other words, cities that are poor or have many people, and would be devastated the most by an extreme event).<ref name="wbk">World Bank. (Accessed December 31, 2015). ''Which Coastal Cities Are at Highest Risk of Damaging Floods?'' [Online], Available: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/08/19/coastal-cities-at-highest-risk-floods</ref>  


==Future Sea Level Rise==
==Future Sea Level Rise==
Scientists have predicted possible contributions to sea level rise by the year 2100 of 16 cm - 54 cm from Greenland and 13 cm - 62 cm from Antartica. These values totalled are projected to contribute a sea level rise of approximately 56 cm by the end of the century. Adding in thermal expansion of the ocean, this figure is projected to increase to a range of 50 cm - 80 cm.<ref name="RE2"> B. Meyssignac and A. Cazenave, "Sea level: A review of present-day and recent-past changes and variability", Journal of Geodynamics, vol. 58, pp. 96-109, 2012.</ref> Thermal expansion is projected to contribute more than half of the average rise, but land ice will lose mass rapidly as the century progresses.<ref name="RE4"> Is Sea Level Rising?", National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [Online]. Available: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/pd/climate/factsheets/issea.pdf.
Scientists have predicted possible contributions to sea level rise by the year 2100 of 16 cm - 54 cm from Greenland and 13 cm - 62 cm from Antarctica. These values totalled are projected to contribute a sea level rise of approximately 56 cm by the end of the century. Adding in thermal expansion of the ocean, this figure is projected to increase to a range of 50 cm - 80 cm.<ref name="RE2"> B. Meyssignac and A. Cazenave, "Sea level: A review of present-day and recent-past changes and variability", Journal of Geodynamics, vol. 58, pp. 96-109, 2012.</ref> Thermal expansion is projected to contribute more than half of the average rise, but land ice will lose mass rapidly as the century progresses.<ref name="RE4"> Is Sea Level Rising?", National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [Online]. Available: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/pd/climate/factsheets/issea.pdf.
</ref> Sea level rise is set to continue at a faster rate than over the past 40 years.<ref name="RE5"> "Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymaker", Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/AR5_SYR_FINAL_SPM.pdf.
</ref> Sea level rise is set to continue at a faster rate than over the past 40 years.<ref name="RE5"> "Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymaker", Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/AR5_SYR_FINAL_SPM.pdf.
</ref>
</ref> Figure 2 below is a diagram of the satellite record of global sea level rise since 1993, including an extrapolation of the data.
 
[[File:PIA26189-Earth-SeaLevelRise-1993To2024-20250313.jpg|center|thumb|800x800px|Figure 2. This graph shows global mean sea level (in blue) since 1993 as measured by a series of five satellites. The solid red line indicates the trajectory of this increase, which has more than doubled over the past three decades. The dotted red line projects future sea level rise.<ref>NASA/JPL-Caltech (2025). (Accessed July 15, 2026). ''Satellite Record of Sea Level Rise'' [Online]. Available: https://sealevel.nasa.gov/news/282/nasa-analysis-shows-unexpected-amount-of-sea-level-rise-in-2024/</ref>]]
[[File:6m_Sea_Level_Rise.jpg|400px|framed|left|Figure 1. A six-meter sea level rise shown on map of the Earth.<ref>flickr. (May 6, 2016). ‘’Six-Meter Sea Level Rise’’ [Online]. Available: https://www.flickr.com/photos/11304375@N07/6863515730</ref>]]
The 10 cities that are estimated to suffer the '''highest cost of damage''' in the event of such catastrophes are:<ref name="wbk" />
 
The 10 cities that are estimated to suffer the '''highest cost of damage''' in the event of such catastrophes are:<ref name=wbk>World Bank. (Accessed December 31, 2015). ''Which Coastal Cities Are at Highest Risk of Damaging Floods?'' [Online], Available: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/08/19/coastal-cities-at-highest-risk-floods</ref>
 
#Guangzhou (China)
#Guangzhou (China)
#Miami (USA)
#Miami (USA)
#New York (USA)
#New York (USA)
#New Orleans (USA)
#New Orleans (USA)
#Mumbai (India)  
#Mumbai (India)
#Nagoya (Japan)
#Nagoya (Japan)
#Tampa (USA)
#Tampa (USA)
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#Osaka (Japan)
#Osaka (Japan)


The 10 cities that are most '''vulnerable, leading to the most devastation''' include:<ref name=wbk/>
The 10 cities that are most '''vulnerable, leading to the most devastation''' include:<ref name="wbk" />


#Guangzhou (China)
#Guangzhou (China)
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#Guayaquil (Ecuador)
#Guayaquil (Ecuador)
#Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
#Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
#Abidjan (Ivory Coast)  
#Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
#Zhanjiang (China)
#Zhanjiang (China)
#Mumbai (India)
#Mumbai (India)
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#Palembang (Indonesia)
#Palembang (Indonesia)
#Shenzhen (China)
#Shenzhen (China)
The video below by the World Bank discusses this sea level change and its consequences in detail.
The video below by the World Bank discusses this sea level change and its consequences in detail.


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<iframe width="800" height="459" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pGfT6Cdw7Qw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="800" height="459" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pGfT6Cdw7Qw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</html>
</html>
Climate Central has an interactive map [https://coastal.climatecentral.org/ Coastal Risk Screening Tool] where you can see areas threatened by sea level rise and coastal flooding.
==For Further Reading==
*[[Climate change]]
*[[Climate forcing]]
*[[Indicators of a warming world]]
*[[Ocean acidification]]
*Or explore a [[Special:Random|random page]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Uploaded]]
[[Category:Uploaded]]

Latest revision as of 20:43, 4 August 2026

Global warming causes a rising sea level. The increasing amount of heat trapped by higher levels of of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere warms the oceans and melts ice. Rising sea levels is one of the main concerns about climate change, and is already measurable. The mean sea level has increased by about 20 centimeters in the past century.[1] Over the past decade, sea levels have risen at twice the rate compared to the last century.[2]

There are two reasons for a warming planet to increase the mean sea level:[1][3]

  1. Molecules gain more kinetic energy at higher temperatures and cause the water to take up more space. This is known as thermal expansion. (~1 mm/year)
  2. Extra heat causes glaciers to melt, and that water flows into the oceans. This matter is particularly worrying because it creates a positive feedback cycle which amplifies the effect. Continental ice on Greenland and west Antarctica is also warming at an accelerated pace, contributing to the rising levels. (~2 mm/year)

Oceans absorb 90% of the trapped heat in global warming and the ice absorbs roughly 3% of the heat, read more about that here.

Figure 1 below shows the changing levels of the oceans since 1993.

Figure 1. Sea level change from 1993 to 2023. Global sea level change is not uniform, with some regions are more than 3x the global average. This is due to the variations in thermal structure of the top 1000 m of the ocean.[4]

Consequences

Rapidly rising sea levels rise have devastating consequences on coastal regions. As seawater reaches inland, it can cause destructive erosion and flooding, contamination of aquifers (called salt water intrusion), and loss of habitat for fish, plants, animals and humans.[5]

When extreme weather events occur, higher sea levels mean more powerful storms near major cities. Moreover, hundreds of millions of people live in coastal regions that are becoming increasingly vulnerable to flooding.[5] Potential damage as a result of rising sea levels has been studied in detail, and two categories have emerged in terms of which cities will be affected the most: highest overall cost of damage and overall cost as a percentage of GDP (in other words, cities that are poor or have many people, and would be devastated the most by an extreme event).[6]

Future Sea Level Rise

Scientists have predicted possible contributions to sea level rise by the year 2100 of 16 cm - 54 cm from Greenland and 13 cm - 62 cm from Antarctica. These values totalled are projected to contribute a sea level rise of approximately 56 cm by the end of the century. Adding in thermal expansion of the ocean, this figure is projected to increase to a range of 50 cm - 80 cm.[7] Thermal expansion is projected to contribute more than half of the average rise, but land ice will lose mass rapidly as the century progresses.[8] Sea level rise is set to continue at a faster rate than over the past 40 years.[9] Figure 2 below is a diagram of the satellite record of global sea level rise since 1993, including an extrapolation of the data.

Figure 2. This graph shows global mean sea level (in blue) since 1993 as measured by a series of five satellites. The solid red line indicates the trajectory of this increase, which has more than doubled over the past three decades. The dotted red line projects future sea level rise.[10]

The 10 cities that are estimated to suffer the highest cost of damage in the event of such catastrophes are:[6]

  1. Guangzhou (China)
  2. Miami (USA)
  3. New York (USA)
  4. New Orleans (USA)
  5. Mumbai (India)
  6. Nagoya (Japan)
  7. Tampa (USA)
  8. Boston (USA)
  9. Shenzhen (China)
  10. Osaka (Japan)

The 10 cities that are most vulnerable, leading to the most devastation include:[6]

  1. Guangzhou (China)
  2. New Orleans (USA)
  3. Guayaquil (Ecuador)
  4. Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
  5. Abidjan (Ivory Coast)
  6. Zhanjiang (China)
  7. Mumbai (India)
  8. Khulna (Bangladesh)
  9. Palembang (Indonesia)
  10. Shenzhen (China)

The video below by the World Bank discusses this sea level change and its consequences in detail.

Climate Central has an interactive map Coastal Risk Screening Tool where you can see areas threatened by sea level rise and coastal flooding.

For Further Reading

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 M. Melieres and C. Marechal, "The impact of warming on the ocean," in Climate Change: Past, Present and Future 1st ed., U.K.: Wiley, 2015, ch.27, pp. 273-283
  2. ↑ "Global Climate Change: Coastal Consequences of Sea Level Rise", Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. [Online]. Available: http://climate.nasa.gov/resources/education/pbs_modules/lesson3Engage/.
  3. ↑ NASA. (Accessed November 7 2015). Sea Level Rise [Online], Available: http://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/125/
  4. ↑ NOAA Climate.gov (2023). (Accessed July 15, 2026). Sea Level Change (1993-2023) [Online]. Available: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 National Geographic. (Accessed January 7, 2016). Sea Level Rise [Online], Available: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-sea-level-rise/
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 World Bank. (Accessed December 31, 2015). Which Coastal Cities Are at Highest Risk of Damaging Floods? [Online], Available: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/08/19/coastal-cities-at-highest-risk-floods
  7. ↑ B. Meyssignac and A. Cazenave, "Sea level: A review of present-day and recent-past changes and variability", Journal of Geodynamics, vol. 58, pp. 96-109, 2012.
  8. ↑ Is Sea Level Rising?", National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [Online]. Available: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/pd/climate/factsheets/issea.pdf.
  9. ↑ "Climate Change 2014 Synthesis Report Summary for Policymaker", Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014. [Online]. Available: https://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/syr/AR5_SYR_FINAL_SPM.pdf.
  10. ↑ NASA/JPL-Caltech (2025). (Accessed July 15, 2026). Satellite Record of Sea Level Rise [Online]. Available: https://sealevel.nasa.gov/news/282/nasa-analysis-shows-unexpected-amount-of-sea-level-rise-in-2024/
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