US Could See Century's Worth Sea Level Rise In 3 Decades: Report

A new report about the environmental impact the United States will suffer in decades to come has predicted that sea levels will rise more than three times as fast as they did last century. The 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report is a multi-agency effort, prepared by a task force representing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, US Geological Survey and other agencies.

The report has said that the average sea level along the US coastline could increase by 0.3 metres as soon as 2050. This is the same level of increase recorded between 1920 and 2020.

This is the first update since 2017, and offers projections till the year 2150, according to the US regulatory body.

NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad says the findings are "a global wake-up call". He said that the sea levels are rising at a rapid pace and United States is not the only nation at risk of losing infrastructure to the sea.

The sea level rise will vary regionally along US coasts because of changes in land and ocean height, the report released by NOAA said.

It also projected a more damaging flooding due to profound rise in sea level over the next three decades. “By 2050, moderate (typically damaging) flooding is expected to occur, on average, more than 10 times as often as it does today, and can be intensified by local factors,” said the report.

Among other takeaways is the rate of emissions and the future predictions based on that. The report said that about 0.60 metres of sea level rise along the US coastline is increasingly likely between 2020 and 2100 because of emissions to date. “Failing to curb future emissions could cause an additional 1.5 - 5 feet (0.5 - 1.5 metres) of rise for a total of 3.5 - 7 feet (1.1 - 2.1 metres) by the end of this century,” it further said.