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For around 2,000 years, global sea levels varied little. That changed in the 20th century. They started rising and have not stopped since — and the pace is accelerating.
Since 1993, satellites have kept careful watch over the world's oceans, allowing scientists a clear view of how they are behaving. What they have revealed is alarming.
Sea level rise was unexpectedly high last year, according to a recent NASA analysis of satellite data. More concerning, however, is the longer-term trend. The rate of annual sea level rise has more than doubled over the past 30 years, resulting in the global sea level increasing 4 inches since 1993.
The world can adapt to slow sea level rise, Dirk Notz, head of sea ice at the University of Hamburg. said: "We might have to relocate cities; you might have to move people around," but there are ways to build and prepare. However, if the pace accelerates rapidly, "it will be very, very difficult to adapt to, because things unfold too quickly," he said. As ever, it will be the most vulnerable who feel the biggest impacts, he added.
📸 : Sean Rayford/Getty Images
