Tiny Cracks, Global Impact: MIT Uncovers How Microscopic Ice Defects Shape Glaciers
MIT researchers have developed a new model to predict glacier flow by studying microscopic defects in ice, revealing significant variations in how ice responds to…
Sea Level News
Sea level, often referred to as mean sea level (MSL), is the average height of the ocean’s surface between high and low tide, used as a standard for measuring elevations on Earth. Sea level is not static and varies due to several factors including the gravitational pull of the moon and sun, atmospheric pressure, and ocean currents. Over longer periods, sea level is influenced significantly by climate change, primarily due to two main processes: thermal expansion of seawater as it warms and the addition of water from melting ice sheets and glaciers. Monitoring sea level is crucial for understanding and predicting changes that impact coastal ecosystems, human populations living near coasts, and the overall climate system. Rising sea levels pose a major risk to coastal areas, leading to higher storm surges, increased erosion, and flooding of low-lying infrastructure. Globally, sea level rise is a critical indicator in climate change studies, prompting adaptation and mitigation strategies in vulnerable regions.
Challenging Modern Climate Narratives: Forgotten 1937 Aerial Photos Expose Antarctic Anomaly
A study using a whaler’s forgotten aerial photos from 1937 shows East Antarctica’s ice has been stable and even grown, despite some early signs of…
Doomsday Glacier’s Ticking Clock: Satellites Reveal “Vigorous Melting” Beneath Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier
Satellite radar data shows substantial seawater intrusion beneath Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier, causing ice to rise and fall. Using high-resolution satellite radar data, a team of…
Surging Seas: NASA Links Spike in 2023 Global Sea Level to El Niño
A long-term sea level dataset shows ocean surface heights continuing to rise at faster and faster rates over decades of observations. Global average sea level…
Melting Mysteries Unlocked at Greenland’s Grounding Zones
UC Irvine researchers suggest we may be underestimating the severity of sea level rise. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and NASA’s Jet Propulsion…
Sinking Shores: The Rising Threat to East Coast Cities and Infrastructure
The East Coast of the U.S. is sinking, impacting major cities and infrastructure, with a significant population at risk. A new study calls for urgent…
EU and UK Face an 872 Billion Euro Battle Against Rising Waters
Sea level rises could cost the EU and UK up to 872 billion Euros by 2100, indicating a need for region-specific economic strategies. Damage caused…
Submerging Skylines: Major East Coast Cities Including NYC and DC Rapidly Sinking
U.S. Atlantic coast cities are sinking faster than the global sea level is rising, posing risks to infrastructure in densely populated areas like New York…
The Great Sediment Shortfall: Why Rivers Can’t Rescue Coastal Wetlands
Building up wetlands that are drowning under rising oceans remains a challenge, but scientists are now one step closer to identifying solutions. Amid climate change,…
Sea Level Secrets Revealed: How Ancient Corals Illuminate Future Threats
An international group of researchers, utilizing historical data gathered from various locations in Australia, has presented the most precise estimate so far of the historical…
Meltdown in Greenland: Ice Shelves Lose Over a Third of Their Volume
A new study shows the largest floating ice shelves in North Greenland have lost more than a third of their volume since 1978, largely due…
SWOT Mission: See an Unprecedented View of Global Sea Levels [Video]
Data on sea surface heights around the world from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission yields a mesmerizing view of the planet’s ocean….
Chilling Reality: An Unseen Factor Is Accelerating Antarctic Glacier Meltdown
Simulations showed that meltwater flowing beneath Antarctic glaciers accelerated sea-level rise by 15% by 2300, suggesting it should be factored into future projections. A new…
In Depth: The Unsettling Findings Beneath Antarctica’s Thinning Ice Sheets
A recent theory illustrates the mechanism by which water underneath glaciers may surge — creating a dangerous feedback cycle. Two Georgia Tech researchers, Alex Robel…
Drowning Predictions: Yearly 100-Year Floods Loom on the Horizon
Some floods are so severe they rarely strike more than once a century, but rising seas could threaten coastal communities with yearly extreme floods by…
Time Is Running Out: Coastal Wetlands Can’t Keep Up With Climate Change, Warns New Study
The survival of marshes and other vulnerable coastal regions hinges on the ability to restrict global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit),…
Unearthing the Past: Ice Core Data Reveals Greenland’s Unexpected Ice-Free History
New analysis of sediments from the Camp Century ice core reveals that northwestern Greenland was ice-free during the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 interglacial period….
Greenland’s Hidden History: Geoscientists Challenge Pre-Existing Climate Beliefs
Scientists report much of the Artic island’s ice melted as recently as 416,000 years ago, which has implications for sea-level rise. Newly analyzed samples from…