The emergence of seas and oceans is a “tipping point” that is of particular concern to climatologists. The threat is so great that by 2050, cities like New York or Venice could be swallowed up. Just like a hundred French cities, according to the Climate Central Institute, which published a map of the endangered areas in France in early February. And this climatic phenomenon is not new. According to a new study published in Nature Communications, it dates back to 1863, the period when the industrial age intensified.
The research was conducted using a global database of sea level data from the past 2,000 years. By identifying when the rate of sea level rise exceeded their natural variability, the researchers were able to pinpoint the start of a significant period of climate change.
“Across various locations in the United States, these elevations first appeared in the mid-Atlantic in the mid to late 1800s, and later in Canada and Europe by the mid to late 1800s. the 20th century”notes the study.
“We can be pretty sure that global sea level rise between 1940 and 2000 was faster than any previous 60-year interval in the past 2,000 years.”develops Jennifer S. Walker, lead author of the study and postdoctoral associate in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University in New Brunswick (USA).
In order to better predict the evolution of sea level rise (both globally and regionally), the statistical model used in this study could be applied to a larger number of individual sites. “Further analysis of the spatial variability in the timing of emergence at different locations will continue to improve society’s understanding of how regional and local processes influence the rate of sea level rise.”concludes Jennifer S. Walker.
(ETX Daily Up)