GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – The rise of sea levels is a serious concern in Eastern Carolina and new research out of Hong Kong could help climate models more accurately predict sea level rise. Specifically, the team was able to provide global ocean mass levels from 1993 to 2022.
Global sea level rise is caused by two main factors, thermal expansion of the water in the ocean and melted ice water increasing the amount of water in the ocean. As the temperature of water warms, the volume of the water increases, pushing sea levels higher.
Rising global temperatures not only lead to thermal expansion of the oceans, but the melting of ice and glaciers on land. The meltwater flows into the oceans, putting more water into the seas.
Using their breakthrough modeling technique, the team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University was able to deduce that of the 90mm of sea level rise between 1993 and 2022, 60% was attributed to meltwater reaching the oceans. This discovery is expected to help climate models better project future rise in sea levels, helping city planners and governments prepare for and plan resilience strategies to keep people and property as safe as possible. You can find more information on the research here.
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