US coastal cities in danger as sea levels rise faster than expected, study warns

Source: The Guardian

US coastal cities in danger as sea levels rise faster than expected, study warns

Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 28 November 2012 00.01 GMT

Sea-level rise is occurring much faster than scientists expected – exposing millions more Americans to the destructive floods produced by future Sandy-like storms, new research suggests.

Satellite measurements over the last two decades found global sea levels rising 60% faster than the computer projections issued only a few years ago by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The faster sea-level rise means the authorities will have to take even more ambitious measures to protect low-lying population centres – such as New York City, Los Angeles or Jacksonville, Florida – or risk exposing millions more people to a destructive combination of storm surges on top of sea-level rise, scientists said.

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The latest research, published on Wednesday in Environmental Research Letters, found global sea-levels rising at a rate of 3.2mm a year, compared to the best estimates by the IPCC of 2mm a year, or 60% faster.\

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Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/28/us-coastal-cities-sea-level-rise