Running Head: RISING SEA LEVELS IN THE UNITED STATES 1

Rising Sea Levels in the United States within the Last Five years

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RISING SEA LEVELS IN THE UNITED STATES 2

Rising Sea Levels in the United States within the Last Five years

A sea level rise refers to the upsurge in mean sea level due to an increase in the volume

of water in the ocean. Over the past two decades, sea level has been rising at an unprecedented

rate, approximately 3.4 mm per year (Kluver, 2017). The sea level continues to increase at this

rate because of seawater warming and the melting of land-based ice, such as ice sheets and

glaciers. Higher sea levels can lead to destructive and destructive storms, which further lead to

flooding in the cities adjacent to the shore. With these effects, rising of sea levels require a

considerable attention because it is a dangerous occurrence.

While the issue of higher sea levels is evident across the globe, it has largely been

noticeable in the United States for the last five years. Almost 40 percent Americans live in

relatively high-population-density coastal regions, where sea level contributes to shoreline

erosion, flooding and threats from storms (Nováčková and Tol, 2017). In fact, over the last

decade, the cases of flooding within U.S. coastal areas has increased up to 900 percent, resulting

in the disastrous destruction of properties and lives. That said, this paper aims to present an

argument regarding the rise of sea levels in the United States within the last five years.

First of all, it is essential to look at the reasons behind the higher sea levels, then examine

the recent significant cases of sea levels in the United States, and the effects of sea level rise.

According to scientists, the rising of sea levels is primarily caused by the changes in climate,

which are triggered by human activities. Cazenave (2012) assert that sea levels began to rise in

the late 1800s after humans started burning gas, coal and other fossil fuels to generate energy.

After these resources are burned, they lead to the production of carbon dioxide, which is

absorbed into the atmosphere. As a result, the excessive carbon dioxide damages the ozone layer
RISING SEA LEVELS IN THE UNITED STATES 3

that absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth from the sun, leading to extreme

warming of the atmosphere and the planet.

The life-threatening heat from the sun results in two major incidents that cause rising of

sea level. First, the warm temperature makes the land-based ice to melt, and the meltwater flows

into the ocean, increasing the water volume and global sea level. In fact, melting ice has cause

nearly two-thirds of the rise in sea level to date, one third from melting ice on mountains and one

third from land-based ice in Antarctica and Greenland (Rosen, 2015). Secondly, the extreme heat

from the sun warms the water, making it take up more space compared to colder water; thus,

increasing the volume of water in the sea. It should be noted that the oceans absorb over 90

percent of the increased atmospheric heat related to emissions from human activities (Peterson et

al., 2013). Just like mercury in a thermometer, water expands as it is heated, causing sea levels to

rise.

The rise of sea levels at specific settings may be more or less due to local aspects such as

changes in regional ocean currents, land subsidence from natural processes and whether the land

is still recovering from the compressive weight of ice age glaciers. In most urban centers, the

higher sea levels threaten infrastructure used by the local and regional industries. Unfortunately,

many large cities in the United States are located on coastlines that are mainly vulnerable to sea

level rises. Nearly five million Americans live within 4 feet of the local high-tide level

(Leichenko and Thomas, 2012). It is important to note that sea level rise is not only happening

but also it is accelerating. In the last five years, the rate of rising is estimated to be 3 to 3.5 mm

per year. However, if this rate continues to accelerate as some scientists have forecasted, that can

lead to significant problems for coastal towns in the future. National Centers for Environmental

Information states that sea level is steadily rising in some coastal states such as Virginia,
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Louisiana, Texas, Carolina and Florida because the land is sinking (Rosen, 2015). In addition,

many of America's major cities on the Atlantic coast are vulnerable to higher sea levels.

Considerably, the critical hot spots in the United States where higher sea levels are

apparent, indicate that both natural and human-made factors drive sea level. While rising sea

levels are difficult to pinpoint in these places, a growing base of research has suggested that sea

levels are steadily increasing and even accelerating. A recent study conducted by Kluver (2017)

shows that sea levels have gradually over the last five years, and the rate of the rise has even

doubled. The study was among the first to sue the methods of statistics to more accurately

measure sea levels by highlighting the precision of modern tool and comparing it with other

studies. In particular, Kluver (2017) found that sea levels on the East Coast of the United States

are increasing more quickly than at any time in the last two decades. The areas on the East Coast

are particularly vulnerable due to the climate change in the southern side. As a matter of fact,

Antarctica's ice sheets are melting quicker and forcing the ocean currents to the northward side.

Gravity is also liable for the higher sea levels on the East Coast because Antarctica's terrific mass

put forth a massive pressure on the oceans, spreading all the way to the Atlantic.

The state of Florida has the most number of major cities threatened by sea level rise,

holding more than twenty million people who live on potentially affected land. As per the report

released by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), three feet of water

ultimately flood land along Florida's coast due to higher sea level (Nováčková and Tol, 2017).

Lately, various cities have been hit by hurricane Irma, causing disastrous destruction. It is

believed that Florida is more vulnerable to higher sea levels because of two reasons. First,

Florida sits on a region of limestone, which is a very permeable type of rock. Limestone erodes

and infiltrates saltwater; hence, driving flooding. Secondly, its elevation is very low such like
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many regions along the United States Gulf Coast (Peterson et al., 2013). This means that much

of its land is situated within a few feet of high tide, ensuring there is a slight change in sea level.

In recent research, scientists have noticed massive fluctuations that tend to occur in the

Northern and Southern side of the United States. For instance, a notable oscillation happened

along hundreds of miles of North Carolina coast in 2012 and 2013, followed by a steady increase

from 2014 to 2016. The oscillation led to about three-quarters of an inch of sea level rise every

year from 2014 to 2016, which equates much volume of water just off the coast (Kluver, 2017).

As a result, the water floods streets and highways once the winds and tides conspire to push it

inland. It is noticeable that the cases of flooding have lately increased due to higher sea levels.

Minor and extreme flooding is becoming frequent in the coastal areas. In fact, people in Florida

and Caribbean are still recovering from the recent Hurricane Irma.

Perceptively, it can be argued that the closer the sea to human communities, the easier it

is for floods to reach towns, homes and roads. Flooding in such places can damage essential

infrastructure and affect the everyday activities, bearing in mind that lives may be lost as well

(Nováčková and Tol, 2017). This is already becoming more common in the Eastern United

States. The frequent floods make people's lives challenging, not to mention cost money because

of damages. For instance, during Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade,

destroyed buildings in the Caribbean and Florida, affecting an estimated 1.2 million people, and

killing more than 100 people. Besides, Hurricane Harvey, which discarded an approximated 27

trillion gallons of water on Louisiana and Texas, seems to be one of the most destructive natural

catastrophes in U.S. history (Kluver, 2017). The flooding affected large areas of Houston,

Beaumont and other regions of Texas. Many people were forced to evacuate their homes, and

activities along the Gulf Coast were significantly affected. These hurricanes indicate the
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devastating impacts of higher sea levels in the last few years. As the sea level rises, hazardous

storm surges will become more common and powerful.

In conclusion, the recent occurrences of hurricane Irma, Harvey and Maria proves that

there has been a steady rise in sea levels within the last five years. It can be argued that the

present global warming has triggered the high sea levels. There is a need to establish mitigation

approaches that can at least slow down the rate of sea level rise. In fact, the American coastal

cities with the help of state and federal government should create worthwhile plans to minimize

the disastrous effects of sea level rise. Rising sea levels cannot be stopped over the next many

years; however, with aggressive mitigation, it can be slowed down, and this would enable

adaptation measures to be implemented.

References

Cazenave, A. (2012). Sea level rise - How much and how fast will sea level rise over the coming

centuries? PAGES News, 20(1), 30-30.

Kluver, D. (2017). Influence of regional Arctic sea ice extent on lagged snowfall in the

contiguous United States. International Journal of Climatology, 37(14), 4962-4971.

Leichenko, R., & Thomas, A. (2012). Coastal Cities and Regions in a Changing Climate:

Economic Impacts, Risks and Vulnerabilities. Geography Compass, 6(6), 327-339.

Nováčková, M., & Tol, R. (2017). Effects of sea level rise on economy of the United

States. Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy, 7(1), 85-115.

Peterson, T., Heim, R., Hirsch, R., Kaiser, D., Brooks, H., & Diffenbaugh, N. et al. (2013).

Monitoring and Understanding Changes in Heat Waves, Cold Waves, Floods, and

Droughts in the United States: State of Knowledge. Bulletin of the American

Meteorological Society, 94(6), 821-834.

Rosen, J. (2015). Sea level rise accelerating faster than thought. Science, 4(3).