Global sea levels will rise much faster and by more than previously thought in 2024, largely due to rising water temperatures, according to a new NASA analysis.
Data shows that sea levels rose by 0.23 inches last year, more than the expected 0.17 inches, the study said.
“Every year is a little different, but one thing is clear: sea levels continue to rise, and the rate of that rise is becoming more rapid,” Josh Willis, a sea level researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in a NASA news release.
The study found that historically, about two-thirds of sea level rise is due to the melting of ice sheets and glaciers, and the addition of water from land into the oceans. One-third, the study found, is due to something called thermal expansion.
“Global warming is primarily due to the buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, and more than 90 percent of this trapped heat is absorbed by the oceans. As this heat is absorbed, the ocean temperature rises and the water expands,” NASA said.
But in recent years, the study says, that ratio has shifted, with two-thirds of sea level rise now due to thermal expansion and one-third to other factors.
Rising sea levels are worrying scientists because more unstable climate patterns and higher ocean levels could lead to powerful and destructive storm surges on land, eroding coastlines and disrupting ecosystems, the National Weather Service says.
Sourse: www.upi.com
