If mid-century projections of sea level rise prove true for New York City, four times as many people may be living in the 100-year floodplain than were previously estimated based only on observed changes.
Stunned by Sandy's devastation, the city of New York undertook an ambitious project: to update its long-term sustainability plan using the latest climate science. Their goal was to understand how much sea level could rise, how soon, and just how vulnerable the city would be if some of the more extreme climate change projections turn into reality.
After Sandy: Facing the Future
October 29, 2013
At various locations on New Jersey's Barnegat Bay Island, Norb Psuty talks with Climate.gov about how humans' desire for permanence on barrier islands is at odds with natural processes. But preserving or restoring key dune and beach features can help communities weather some storms.
After Sandy: Changes and Choices
October 28, 2013
Global average sea level in 2012 was 1.4 inches above the 1993-2010 average, which was the highest yearly average in the satellite record. Sea level has been rising over the past century, and the pace has increased in recent decades.
In 2011, global sea levels fell below the long-term trend of sea level rise, but as La Niña waned late in the year, global ocean levels began rising rapidly.
Many of the Northwestern Hawaiian islands where sea turtles nest have low, flat coastal plains. They are already vulnerable to storm surges, and they could be totally inundated as sea level rises.
Sea level has risen 8-9 inches since 1880, and the rate is accelerating thanks to glacier and ice sheet melt.
Amazingly, ENSO doesn't just impact climate anomalies like temperature and precipitation over the United States. It can also influence the sea level, which may have major implications as the sea level continues to rise in the future.