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2 mThe two major causes of global sea-level rise are thermal expansion caused by
the warming of the oceans (since water expands as it warms) and the loss of land-
based ice (such as glaciers and polar ice caps) due to increased melting. n
3 mis sea level rising? - National Ocean Service-
NOAA oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sealevel.htmlNational Ocean Service n
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3 mSea Level Rise-- National Geographic ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical...
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4 National Geographic Society Learn about the environmental issue of sea level rise and its
causes and consequences in this oceans article from National Geographic. n
5 mWhat Does U.S. Look Like With 10 Feet of Sea Level Rise
www.climatecentral.org/.../u.s.-with-10-feet-of-sea-level-r...
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6 Climate Central May 13, 2014 -The projected decay will lead to at least 4 feet of
accelerating global sea level rise within the next two-plus centuries, and at least 10 feet of
rise... n
7 mis sea level rising?- National Ocean Service - NOAA oceanservice.noaa.gov> Ocean Facts
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8 National Ocean Service The two major causes of global sea-level rise are thermal
expansion caused by the warming of the oceans (since water expands as it warms) and the
loss of land-based ice (such as glaciers and polar ice caps) due to increased melting. n
9 mCauses of Sea Level Rise: What the Science Tells Us (2013 ...www.ucsusa.org/.../causes-
1 1 Cached
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10 Union of Concerned Scientists Sea level is rising--and at an accelerating rate-- largely in
response to global warming.A 2013 fact sheet from the Union of Concerned Scientists. n
11 mSea level rise -Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_level_rise
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12 Wikipedia There are two main mechanisms that contribute to observed sea level rise: (1)
thermal expansion: ocean water expands as it warms - because of the increase in ocean
heat content; and (2) the melting of major stores of land ice like ice sheets and glaciers. n
13 mRising Waters: How Fast and How Far Will Sea Levels Rise
e360.yale.edu/.../rising...how...sea_levels_rise/2702/
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14 Yale University Oct 21, 2013 - up by the deeper, colder parts of the ocean; cold water
simply doesn't expand so much on heating as warmer water does, so the sea level
rise ... n
15 mHow much will sea levels rise in the 21st Century?www.skepticalscience.com/sea-level-
rise-predictions.htm
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16 Skeptical Science Aug 4, 2013 - Global estimates of sea level rise were subject to
substantial differences in .... He does seem to be a very experienced expert on sea levels. n
17 mHow much is sea level rising? - Skeptical Science www.skepticalscience.com/sea-level-
rise.htm
1 Similar
18 Skeptical Science Jun 3, 2014-What they find is sea level rise has been steadily
accelerating over the...The low resolution issue is adressed but the uncertainty issue
does... n
19 mRising Sea Level I A Student's Guide to Global Climate ...www.epa.gov/.../sea-leve...
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20 United States Environmental Protection Agency Aug 28, 2014 -Sea level is also rising
because melting glaciers and ice sheets are adding more water to the oceans.What's
happening now?This line graph shows the average sea level around the world since 1870.
...Why does it matter? n
21 mSea Level Rise I Weather Underground www.wunderground.com/.../SeaLevelRise.asp_1
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22 Weather Underground Figure 1. During the last ice age (top) sea level was at least 120 m
lower than it is today (bottom), exposing much more area on the continents. In these ... n
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Home » See the Impacts » The Signs of Climate Change » Rising Sea Level
Rising Sea Level
As water gets warmer, it takes up more space. Each drop
of water only expands by a little bit, but when you multiply
' �: this expansion over the entire depth of the ocean, it all
adds up and causes sea level to rise. Sea level is also
rising because melting glaciers and ice sheets are adding
more water to the oceans.
�' "it*
What's happening now?
Over the past 100 years,the average sea level around
the world rose by nearly 7 inches. Did you know that
sea level can change by different amounts in different
places?Find out why. beirthge
Why does sea level change by different
amounts in different places?
Sea level is rising faster in some places than others
because of wind patterns, ocean currents, and other
factors. In addition, sea level may seem like it's
changing more in certain places than others because
the land itself may be rising or sinking.
In some places,the land is rising or sinking because of
plate tectonics—the same forces that cause
earthquakes, create volcanoes, and build mountain A
2
ranges. In addition to plate tectonics, land can also " rJ `
sink because people have pumped lots of oil, natural
or water out of the ground. When the land is also 'N
rising, sea level rise might not seem so bad. But in
coastal areas where the land is sinking,the effects of 0" .M
sea level rise will be even worse.
MO B s* on Xl•
Average sea level around the world has been rising for many years.In this graph,
the shaded band shows the likely range of sea level,which depends on the
number of measurements and the methods used at different times.Source:EPA's
Climate Change Indicators(2012).
45
bad in places viitere the land when the land is siinkin+
is rising...
xvF
What will happen in the future?
If people keep adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere,the average sea level around the world by the end of this century(the
year 2099)could be anywhere from 7 to 23 inches higher than it was in 1990. Sea level could rise even more if the big ice sheets in
Greenland and Antarctica melt faster.
Why does it matter?
Rising sea level is a threat to people who live near the ocean. Some low-lying areas will have more frequent flooding, and very low-
lying land could be submerged completely. Rising sea level can also harm important coastal ecosystems like mangrove forests and
coral reefs.
Check out the major effects of rising sea level on people and the environment:
• Coastal Areas
• Recreation
• Plants,Animals, and Ecosystems
Learn more about rising sea level by_going on an expedition to the Maldives!
How much is sea level rising?
What The Science Says:
A variety of different measurements find steadily rising sea levels over the past century.
Climate Myth: Sea level rise is exaggerated
"We are told sea level is rising and will soon swamp all of our cities. Everybody knows that the
Pacific island of Tuvalu is sinking. ...
Around 1990 it became obvious the local tide-gauge did not agree - there was no evidence of
'sinking.' So scientists at Flinders University, Adelaide, set up new, modern, tide-gauges in 12
Pacific islands.
Recently, the whole project was abandoned as there was no sign of a change in sea level at any of
the 12 islands for the past 16 years." (Vincent Gray).
Gavin Schmidt investigated the claim that tide gauges on islands in the Pacific Ocean show no sea
level rise and found that the data show a rising sea level trend at every single station. But what
about global sea level rise?
Sea level rises as ice on land melts and as warming ocean waters expand. As well as being a
threat to coastal habitation and environments, sea level rise corroborates other evidence of global
warming
The blue line in the graph below clearly shows sea level as rising, while the upward curve suggests
sea level is rising faster as time goes on. The upward curve agrees with global temperature trends
and with the accelerating melting of ice in Greenland and other places.
Because sea level behavior is such an important signal for tracking climate change, skeptics seize
on the sea level record in an effort to cast doubt on this evidence. Sea level bounces up and down
slightly from year to year so it's possible to cherry-pick data falsely suggesting the overall trend is
flat, falling or linear. You can try this yourself. Starting with two closely spaced data points on the
graph below, lay a straight-edge between them and notice how for a short period of time you
cancreate almost any slope you prefer, simply by being selective about what data points you use.
Now choose data points farther apart. Notice that as your selected data points cover more time, the
more your mini-graph reflects the big picture. The lesson? Always look at all the data, don't be
fooled by selective presentations.
150 r-r-- z--- _._r..__ r. _r...__. i __.� .__..
_�T�._ , __._ £
I --GMSL from tide gauges - --- a
too GMSL from satetite meter i
g . ,
(j r —`
CO i y qq
i -5 ' fiat► #t'1 1100 i .. .., ._... J 1 1995 2000 2005 1
. 15O .___,__ , _. z t __.� 3 r J-- -L- .�
1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
graph from Church 2008
Other skeptic arguments about sea level concern the validity of observations, obtained via tide
gauges and more recently satellite altimeter observations.
Tide gauges must take into account changes in the height of land itself caused by local geologic
processes, a favorite distraction for skeptics to highlight. Not surprisingly, scientists measuring sea
level with tide gauges are aware of and compensate for these factors. Confounding influences are
accounted for in measurements and while they leave some noise in the record they cannot account
for the observed upward trend.
Various technical criticisms are mounted against satellite altimeter measurements by skeptics.
Indeed, deriving millimeter-level accuracy from orbit is a stunning technical feat so it's not hard to
understand why some people find such an accomplishment unbelievable. In reality, researchers
demonstrate this height measurement technique's accuracy to be within 1mm/year. Most
importantly there is no form of residual error that could falsely produce the upward trend in
observations.
As can be seen in an inset of the graph above, tide gauge and satellite altimeter measurements
track each other with remarkable similarity. These two independent systems mutually support the
observed trend in sea level. If an argument depends on skipping certain observations or
emphasizes uncertainty while ignoring an obvious trend, that's a clue you're being steered as
opposed to informed. Don't be mislead by only a carefully-selected portion of the available
evidence being disclosed.
Current sea level rise is after all not exaggerated, in fact the opposite case is more plausible.
Observational data and changing conditions in such places as Greenland suggest if there's a real
problem here it's underestimation of future sea level rise. IPCC synthesis reports offer conservative
projections of sea level increase based on assumptions about future behavior of ice sheets and
glaciers, leading to estimates of sea level roughly following a linear upward trend mimicking that of
recent decades. In point of fact, observed sea level rise is already above IPCC projections and
strongly hints at acceleration while at the same time it appears the mass balance of continental ice
envisioned by the IPCC is overly optimistic (Rahmstorf 2010 ).
The Skeptical Science website by Skeptical Science
. , ¢ is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution j�' . ( .co
3.0 Unported License.
In bi g reversal ,, Big O asks
for a price on carbon
Brian Kahn
Wednesda , June 3, 2015 - 12:30am
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In a major about face, a group of oil executives have sent a letter to the United Nations asking
for clarity on long-term energy policy.
M e
Let's see if you can guess the source for the following quote.
"We want to be a part of the solution and deliver energy to society
sustainably for many decades to come."
If you guessed a major solar, wind or renewable energy company, you'd
be wrong. If you guessed six of the world's largest oil and gas companies,
give yourself a gold star.
In a stunning reversal of years of obstructionism to creating a global
framework to deal with climate change, CEOs from global oil and gas
behemoths Shell, BP, Total, Statoil, Eni and the BG Group have signaled
that they're ready for a price on carbon.
The CEOs of the companies, with nearly $1 .4 trillion in annual revenue,
sent a letter Friday, which was released publicly Monday, to Christiana
Figueres, the United Nation's climate chief, as well as Laurent Fabius,
France's foreign affairs and international development minister who will
also lead the Paris climate talks later this year.
In it, they ask for national and regional governments to set a price on
carbon and for those regional carbon markets to be linked.
"We need governments across the world to provide us with clear, stable,
long-term, ambitious policy frameworks," the letter stated.
The timing of the letter is no coincidence. Representatives from 190
countries are meeting in Bonn, Germany this week to continue
hammering out details for an international climate agreement that is
expected to take shape by the end of the year.
Click here to read the letter in its entirety.
The desire for a price on carbon might seem anathema to companies that
make much of their billions from extracting oil and gas, two of the main
drivers of carbon dioxide emissions that are warming the planet.
And make no mistake, the six companies are not talking about getting out
of the oil and gas business anytime soon. In fact, a separate letter to the
media highlights natural gas as an important bridge fuel.
And despite signing the letter, Shell is also headed back to the Arctic this
summer to drill for oil.
But in the big picture, the lack of a price on carbon creates an uncertain
environment for companies that tend to plan decades into the future. The
sooner a price is set, the quicker companies can adjust their plans for
future profitability.
In addition, there's been growing pressure from shareholders that want
more clarity on how oil companies plan to continue making money in a
world where carbon emissions need to decline in order to avoid the worst
impacts of climate change. The growing power of the divestment
movement, which aims to get pension funds and endowments to remove
fossil fuel companies from their portfolio, is also posing a growing issue
for fossil fuel companies.
"The investors have really woken up in the past 12 months," Frances
Way, co-chief operating officer of programs at CDP, said. "There's a
push to ask that as a responsible investor, should they be supporting oil
and gas at this point."
CDP works with investors and companies interested in planning for the
impacts of climate change and how to reduce emissions. For fossil fuel
companies, reducing emissions means reimagining what kind of company
they are.
"It depends if you see it as a fossil fuel business or an energy business.
Can they can diversify and change over time?" Way said. "I feel a
number of individuals are trying to get a point of dialogue about the
strategy and risk and being more transparent."
Figueres has said she wants to have fossil fuel companies at the table for
climate talks. The letter signals a willingness that they'll be pulling up a
seat as good guests and not party crashers.
This article originally appeared at Climate Central.org
:t�� NDEPENDENT
UK and US main barriers to addressing
climate change, survey finds
While people in China and the rest of Asia want their governments to be ambitious in tackling
environmental damage, many in the West want their representatives not to do anything at all
Andrew Griffin
Monday, 8 June 2015
They're the two biggest emitters of greenhouses gases in the world — but the US and China have
very different ideas about tackling the problem of climate change.
In a new survey taken months before officials meet for perhaps the most significant climate
change talks ever held, YouGov found that people the US and UK lag far behind countries
including China in wanting those talks to produce a meaningful commitment to address climate
change.
In December, international representatives will meet in Paris to discuss an international
agreement that some think could be humanity's last chance to limit the terrible effects climate
change could have on the world and its population. But much of the US and the UK don't want
their governments to do anything at all.
READ MORE
Scientists say temperatures could rise by 6C by 2100 and call for action ahead of UN meeting in
Paris
Planned curbs in greenhouse gas emissions won't prevent global warming 'danger limit' being.
reached
'Slow-down' in climate change never happened, says major review
In the US, 17 per cent of people "do not agree to any international agreement that addresses
climate change". That number is 7 per cent in the UK.
In China and Indonesia, on the other hand, it is only 1 per cent. In China, 60 per cent of people
want their representatives to "play a leadership role in setting ambitious targets to address
climate change as quickly as possible in the UK, that number is 41 per cent.
Many citizens don't want their representatives
to do anything to address climate change
Percentage of people that want their country's strategy to be not to agree to any
international agreement that addresses climate change
US 17
Norway ---■ 10
Finland 8
Sweden 8
UK 7
Demnark 4
Germany 4
France 3
Australia 3
China ■ 1
Hong Kong 1
Indonesia . 1
Malaysia ® 1
Singapore ® 1
Thailand 111 1
Sc'MI rc YouGov Get the data