Sea+Level+Rise

= Sea Level Rise = = =

= Welcome to the PASB page discussing SEA LEVEL RISE: a part of global climate changes! = = =

Global sea level rose by about 120 m during the several millennia that followed the end of the last ice age (approximately 21,000 years ago), and stabilised between 3,000 and 2,000 years ago. Sea level indicators suggest that global sea level did not change significantly from then until the late 19th century. The instrumental record of modern sea level change shows evidence for onset of sea level rise during the 19th century. Estimates for the 20th century show that global average sea level rose at a rate of about 1.7 mm yr–1.

Global sea level is projected to rise during the 21st century at a greater rate than during 1961 to 2003. Under the IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) A1B scenario by the mid-2090s, for instance, global sea level reaches 0.22 to 0.44 m above 1990 levels, and is rising at about 4 mm yr–1. As in the past, sea level change in the future will not be geographically uniform, with regional sea level change varying within about ±0.15 m of the mean in a typical model projection. Thermal expansion is projected to contribute more than half of the average rise, but land ice will lose mass increasingly rapidly as the century progresses. An important uncertainty relates to whether discharge of ice from the ice sheets will continue to increase as a consequence of accelerated ice flow, as has been observed in recent years. This would add to the amount of sea level rise, but quantitative projections of how much it would add cannot be made with confidence, owing to limited understanding of the relevant processes.

(From the report accepted by Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change but not approved in detail)

**Sea Level Rise Simulations**

Here you can simulate the effects of Sea Level Rise. Be aware there are different approaches and models, therefore different sites can display not identical results.
 * @http://globalfloodmap.org/Brazil
 * @http://merkel.zoneo.net/Topo/Applet/
 * @http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/
 * @http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com.br/2008/04/google-maps-sea-level-rise-explorer.html
 * @http://globalfloodmap.org/

Key terms
**Beach nourishment:** the addition of sand, often dredged from offshore, to an eroding shoreline to enlarge or create a beach area, offering temporary shore protection and recreational opportunities. The Coastal Erosion Hazard Act specifically defines beach nourishment as a structural measure. **Coastal hazards:** negative impacts associated with sea level rise, storm surge, wind‐driven waves and erosion **Coastal Risk Management Zone**: areas to be classified as currently at significant risk of coastal flooding due to storms and areas projected to be at high risk of flooding from projected sea level rise and strong storms **Ecosystem services:** the benefits people obtain from ecosystems that communities would have to replace artificially if the natural systems were lost. These benefits include, among others, flood control, water‐quality improvement, storm protection, food production, nursery grounds, wildlife habitat and carbon sequestration. **Natural protective features**: natural features such as the nearshore area, wetlands, dunes, bluffs, barrier islands and aquatic vegetation, the alteration of which might reduce or destroy the protection afforded other lands against erosion or high water, or lower the reserves of sand or other natural materials available to replenish storm losses through natural processes. **Non ‐structural protection or non‐structural measures:** Non‐structural protective measures address storms, flooding and erosion, and minimize current and future damage through sustainable adaptation of development within the context of the natural environment. From the land‐use perspective, non‐structural measures include excluding development from unsafe, high‐risk locations through land‐use regulation, zoning, open‐space conservation, land trusts, easements or other land‐use measures that protect communities, development and natural resources. Non‐structural measures also include building‐construction techniques that achieve resilience to environmental conditions, such as relocation, elevation, and flood proofing or other measures applied to development. Retrofits, tax incentives, post‐storm adaptation, transfer of development rights, voluntary acquisition and temporary lease/occupancy agreements **Shore protection:** a range of management and engineering responses that focus on protecting land from inundation, erosion or storm‐induced flooding through traditional armoring (seawalls; bulkheads; or revetments made from concrete, rock, steel or timber and placed parallel to the shoreline); shoreline stabilization structures and facilities (groins, breakwaters, sills, vegetation, wetland or ground water drainage) designed to slow the erosion rate; beach and dune reconstruction, designed to replace sediment on the beach or dune; non‐structural measures (see above); or a combination of these approaches **Soft shore protection, shoreline softening or soft engineering:** methods of shore protection that prevent or reduce shore erosion through the use of natural materials similar to those already found in a given location, such as using sand for beach or dune reconstruction or the planting of native vegetation to retain soils along the shore; or through use of structures designed to provide riparian habitat or to emulate natural shorelines for the purpose of adding habitat value. **Storm Surge**: a dramatic elevation of the ocean surface that leads to rapid flooding **Hard shoreline protection, shoreline hardening, shoreline armoring or hard engineering methods :** concrete, rock, sill, timber or other structures such as groins, jetties and breakwaters, designed to slow erosion; or bulkheads, dikes, revetments and seawalls, designed to manage the erosive effect of waves on property or landward infrastructure. Source: New York State Sea Level Rise Task Force - Report to Legislature


 * Current Event**

This video describes research being conducted by Dr. Karen McKee, USGS Research Ecologist, and her university partner, Dr. Julia Cherry. Their goal is to better understand the effects of sea-level rise and other global change factors on coastal wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta. This region contains over 40% of the U.S. wetlands in the lower 48 states These wetlands support commercial fisheries, provide habitat for waterfowl and wildlife, and act as storm buffers, protecting several important ports and cities such as New Orleans McKee and Cherry are conducting field and greenhouse experiments to quantify how plant productivity contributes organic matter to vertical soil building, which helps to counterbalance sea-level rise. media type="youtube" key="ksNHlnIUUVw?version=3" width="595" height="350" align="center"


 * Links to PASB Global Climate Changes Project**
 * Glacial Melt => glacial melt**