Climate Change and its Effects: Rising Sea Levels increase tensions for citizens and administrations in the USA

By 2050, research is showing that sea level in the USA can rise as much as 12 inches (30 cm) above the current waterline. This is based on quotes from researchers who have studied the satellite observations for 3 decades. These observations could refine near term projections for coastal communities which will thus help them to brace themselves for both catastrophic and nuisance flooding in the recent future. 

Global sea levels have been increasing for decades in response to a warming climate and multiple lines of evidence indicate that the rise is in 6th gear mode. The new findings support the probable extreme scenarios outlined in the interagency report released in Feb 2022. The said report has been developed by collaboration of institutions such as NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), and the US Geological Survey and states that we can expect a significant sea level rise over the next 30 years. The projection is that a constant level of 10 to 14 inches (25 to 35 cm) is going to take place on the East coast along with 14 to 18 inches (35 to 48 cm) on the Gulf coast and 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) on the West coast. 

Building on the methods used for conducting the test for finding the observations for the report, a team led by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California did an experiment where they took 28 years of satellite altimeter measurements of sea surface height and correlated that with NOAA tide gauge records dating back to as much as 1920. By continuously measuring the height of the surrounding water level, the tide gauges provide a consistent record to compare with the satellite observations. 

After conducting the experiments and noting the observations, the researchers concluded that sea level rise from 1993 to 2020 and the direction of those trends suggests that future sea level rise would be higher at levels far more than observed before. 

This implies all over the world but far more for the United States of America that is to face an impending threat of coastal regions being flooded and subsequently submerged. This is a dire threat that needs urgent remedial action from all sorts.

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