NOAA Releases Sea Level Rise Technical Report

The U.S. is expected to experience as much sea level rise by the year 2050 as it witnessed in the previous hundred years, according to a NOAA report.

The Sea Level Rise Technical Report updated sea level decision-support information for the U.S. in partnership with half a dozen other federal agencies, reported NOAA.

The report provides sea level rise projections for all U.S. states and territories by decade for the next 100 years and beyond. This information encompasses a combination of tide gauge, satellite observations and all the model ensembles from the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). 

According to the report, sea levels along the coastline will rise an additional 10 to 12 inches by 2050. However, the specific amounts vary regionally.

At least two feet of sea level rise is likely by 2100. NOAA adds that reducing emissions now can lower future risk. 

The report also finds that the sea level rise expected by 2050 will increase in the frequency of coastal flooding, even in the absence of storms or heavy rainfall. The U.S. on average will see as much sea level rise by 2050 as seen in the last century.

The report updates the federal government’s 2017 sea level rise projections. Additionally, it provides additional information on tide, wind, and storm-driven extreme water levels affecting coastal flood risks. 

“This new data on sea rise is the latest reconfirmation that our climate crisis ⁠— as the President has said ⁠— is blinking ‘code red,’” said Gina McCarthy, National Climate Advisor in the NOAA news release. “We must redouble our efforts to cut the greenhouse gases that cause climate change while, at the same time, help our coastal communities become more resilient in the face of rising seas.”

“By 2050, moderate flooding ⁠— which is typically disruptive and damaging by today’s weather, sea level and infrastructure standards ⁠— is expected to occur more than 10 times as often as it does today,” said Nicole LeBoeuf, NOAA National Ocean Service Director in the news release. “These numbers mean a change from a single event every 2 to 5 years to multiple events each year, in some places.” 

This effort is a collaboration of the Interagency Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazard and Tool Task Force, which is comprised of NOAA, NASA, EPA, USGS, DoD, FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and several academic institutes. 

The report includes methods and insights from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report and supporting research for the U.S. DoD Defense Regional Sea Level database.