Sea Level Rise Will Not Be Uniform

As the climate warms, the world's glaciers and ice sheets are melting, but sea level increase will be greater in some places due to the earth's rotation and gravity, according to a newly released study by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

2 minute read

November 27, 2017, 2:00 PM PST

By Irvin Dawid


Millennium Atoll

The TerraMar Project / Flickr

How much can you expect rising sea levels to threaten your coastal city? The answer lies in part in knowing which glacial ice melts affect it, so planners can determine how much of an increase to prepare for.

"NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab has mapped how changes in these giant ice fields influence sea levels both nearby and thousands of miles away," reports Christopher Joyce, science correspondent for NPR (audio available). "They published their results in the journal Science Advances."

It turns out that in New York City, the sea level would be affected more by melting ice on the northern end of Greenland than much closer ice in southern Greenland, or even ice in Canada.

Scientists are now using this information to predict the future for American cities, but they're also building in a lot of local geographical information.

"The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is putting together a sea level rise grid for the country, one that will factor in local conditions as well as the effects of faraway melting ice," adds Joyce.

Sea level decrease?

Yes, melts in the eastern Greenland ice sheet could cause a minor drop in sea level in Norway while raising sea levels off Tokyo by several inches, writes Joyce.

Unrelated to the NASA report, a 2007 study found that the melting of glaciers outside Juneau, Alaska is causing the land to rise faster than the sea level, resulting in net sea level decline.

============================================================================================================================

Jeff Goodell’s new book, The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World was reviewed by Jennifer Senior for The New York Times on Nov. 22. While Joyce of NPR indicates that sea level has risen an average of eight inches over the last century, Senior writes that the authors of climate reports for the 2015 Paris agreement estimate sea level rise at over three feet by 2100.

Now many scientists believe that estimate is too low. Some say the sea could rise as much as six feet; others say even more than that.

“For anyone living in Miami Beach or South Brooklyn or Boston’s Back Bay or any other low-lying coastal neighborhood,” Goodell writes, “the difference between three feet of sea level rise by 2100 and six feet is the difference between a wet but livable city and a submerged city.”

"Of all the American cities in this book, Miami seems least equipped to handle a rise in sea level, founded as it is on pleasure, real estate and the inalienable right to not pay state income taxes," adds Senior.

Friday, November 24, 2017 in NPR

courses user

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges. Corey D, Transportation Planner

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges.

Corey D, Transportation Planner

Ready to give your planning career a boost?

Graphic with blue background, flags, and text reading 2024 Presidential Election

Where 2024 Presidential Candidates Stand on 12 Issues Important to Urban Planners

Whether you’re yet undecided or have already cast your early vote, here is a roundup of the key positions of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on important urban planning policies.

October 31, 2024 - Planetizen

Modular housing under construction with worker guiding crane.

Commentary: New Bill Holds Key to Solving US Housing Crisis. We Just Have to Pass It.

Two bills currently moving through Congress could make mass production of prefabricated, affordable housing possible on a large scale.

October 29, 2024 - Jordan Rogove

Gaslamp Quarter

America’s 10 ‘Greenest’ Cities

A new analysis ranks cities based on their environmental quality, energy consumption and production, transportation, density, and other factors.

October 28, 2024 - The Street

Group of children with backpacks and bike helmets going to school.

How Seattle Achieved Safe Routes to School Goal

SDOT has installed safety improvements at more than 260 public schools since 2015.

6 hours ago - Office of Mayor Bruce Harrell

Parked cars in floodwater with two-story apartments or homes in background in Florida after hurricane.

Auto Insurance Rates Spike Due to Extreme Weather

Car insurance costs around the country are going up as insurers receive more claims from areas struck by storms and other climate disasters.

7 hours ago - Grist

Small mountain lake with snow-capped mountains in background in Eastern Sierra Nevada mountains in California.

California Approves $10 Billion Bond for Water, Clean Energy, and Environmental Projects

Funds will be used to support water, wildfire prevention, environmental, and park projects, reflecting strong public support for climate resilience.

November 7 - Los Angeles Times