by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY
Science & Technology (science)
Multi-meter sea level rise is now pretty much a certainty, even if the timescale is still very much up for debate and influenced by how much and how quickly we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Another wrinkle in the scenario is how some places at sea level may be affected more than others. Recent research shows that New York City, Vancouver, Tasmania and the Maldives may get much more than the average amount, up to 20% more in fact.
BBC News explains some of the reasons for the regional variation:
Areas closer to melting ice sheets will experience a smaller sea level rise than those further away. This is because ice sheets such as those on Greenland or Antarctica gravitationally attract the water. This pulls the water towards the coast, effectively making it pile up to an extent that can be measured in centimeters. If the ice begins to melt, it raises the average sea level simply by entering the sea; but the gravitational pull is now smaller, so locally the sea level may go down. “So if the Greenland sheet melts more, that’s better for New York; but if Antarctica melts, that’s worse for New York – and it’s equally true for northwestern Europe,” Professor van der Wal told BBC News.
(Source: www.treehugger.com )