And that’s dismal news for the hundreds of thousands of people, businesses and buildings in risky, low-lying areas near tidal waters in New Jersey. Storms will ride on higher sea levels in the future, causing greater flooding and damage, experts say.
The rate of sea-level rise off New Jersey is about double the global rate, possibly because the land is subsiding, according to an N.J. Department of Environmental Protection report.
North of Cape Hatteras, N.C., sea level rise began accelerating about 25 years ago, according to one study I blogged about last year.
Here are some key points in the IPCC report for policyholders:
– Since the mid-19th century, the rate of sea level rise has been larger than average rate during the previous 2,000 years (high confidence). From 1901 to 2010, global mean sea level rose by 7.4 inches.
(In New Jersey, the sea level has risen about 15.7 inches in the past century, according to NJ FloodMapper).
– Global average sea level will continue to rise this century and, under all scenarios, the rate of sea level rise will very likely exceed what was observed from 1971 to 2010. That’s because of increased ocean warming and greater loss of mass from glaciers and ice sheets.
– Global average sea level rise for 2081 to 2100 compared with 1986 to 2005 will likely range from about 10 inches to 32 inches. The rise would be up to about 38 inches under one scenario, with medium confidence.
(In New Jersey, the sea level is projected to rise by 1.4 feet from 2000 to 2050 and by 3.4 feet by 2100, according to Rutgers University researchers).
– Changes in many extreme weather and climate events have taken place since about 1950. It is very likely that the number of cold days and nights has dropped and the number of warm days and nights has increased globally. The frequency of heat waves likely has increased in large parts of Europe, Asia and Australia. There are likely more land regions where the number of heavy precipitation events has increased instead of decreased. The frequency or intensity of heavy precipitation events has likely increased in North America and Europe.
– Extreme precipitation events over most of the mid-latitude lands and wet tropical regions will very likely become more frequent and more intense by the end of this century, as global average surface temperature rises.
Some images from the IPCC report:
And here are some images on emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas: