3.2 Millimeters: A Troubling Rise in Sea Level

ScrAPES#13: 3.2 Millimeters: A Troubling Rise in Sea Level

by Nicholas Bakalar

November 30, 2015

The latest report from the intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change stated that sea levels accelerated an average of 1.7 millimeters a year during the 20th century. The rise are unpredictable in some places because some of them had higher sea level increase than others. Scientists use tidal gauges and satellite altimeter data to take the amount of these changes. Ever since 1993 the average rate of increase has approximately doubled to 3.2 millimeters a year. Global warming and melting of ice and snow took part of this increase.

This is interesting to me because I have always wondered if scientists can measure the amount of ocean water earth has as a whole. I guess measuring the amount of increase sea level is very close enough. Also this takes interest to me because every time I hear global warming, climate change, or even this, it makes me wonder about the end of the world. I do believe in the end of the world (religiously). What would earth be like from 100 years from now? Will it still be alive and technology increased and so did the rich? Or will it have died out because of the apocalypse? Knowing the fact that sea levels increase rapidly makes me cringe because it is like dying from drowning.

This relates to the environment because if the sea level keeps rapidly increasing over time, soon homes will be flooded because it will surround the grounds of the earth. We cannot just throw away water because water is liquid and I cannot be "held". Soon in the future people animals will have no home or food because it will be extremely difficult to grow crops, if we do not change our ways. This is human's fault as well as mother nature because we cause global warming by greenhouse gases and the unhealthy living we took upon on.