Report Shows that Rates of Sea-Level Rise on East Coast Are Three to Four Times Faster Than Global Average
On June 24, 2012, a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report was released that shows that the rates of sea-level rise between Boston and Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, since 1990 are three to four times higher than the global average. According to the report, since 1990, the sea level along that 600-mile stretch of the East Coast has risen 2 to 3.7 millimeters per year, not including land subsidence. The global average over the same period was 0.6 to 1.0 millimeter per year.
According to the report, if increases in the sea-level rise rate that have already occurred along the East Coast continue for the rest of the century, the area will have sea levels 8 to 11.4 inches above the projected global average. The report shows that the sea-level rise in the 600-mile "hot spot" is consistent with the slowing of Atlantic Ocean circulation. USGS said models indicate that this change in circulation may be tied to changes in water temperature, salinity, and density in the subpolar north Atlantic. The study is entitled "Hotspot of Accelerated Sea-Level Rise on the Atlantic Coast of North America."