A new report from US government agencies has warned that coastal flooding will increase significantly over the next 30 years due to “alarming” sea level rise. It says sea levels along the US coast could rise 10 to 123 inches or nearly a foot above current levels by 2050 due to rapidly melting glaciers and ice sheets, a direct result of climate change. This rise in sea level is a terrifying scenario for those who live close to the coast. The report — an update of a 2017 report — involves multiple U.S. government agencies, such as NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The updated report, released on Feb. 15, predicts sea levels will rise over the next 130 years, but also offers short-term forecasts for the first time. Government agencies at multiple levels of planning use these reports to inform themselves and map out plans to deal with the effects of sea level rise.
Titled “Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States,” the report states that sea levels along U.S. coasts will rise on average between 10 and 12 inches above current levels by 2050. The researchers developed the short-term projections by drawing data of how the processes that contribute to rising seas, such as melting glaciers and ice sheets, will affect sea or ocean levels.
According to NASA administrator Bill Nelson, the report supports previous research and proves that sea levels have risen at an alarming rate. Nelson added that immediate action was needed to mitigate “a climate crisis that is in full swing.”
A NASA team has also developed an online mapping tool to visualize the report’s projections at a local level in the US.
NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad described the report as a “global wake-up call” and said it gave people the information they needed to act now to “best position ourselves” for the future.
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