Rethinking sea-level baseline widens coastal risk estimates
TL;DR
A Nature study finds that hundreds of sea-level assessments underestimate baseline coastal water heights by about 1 foot, which could mean up to 37% more land could flood and 77–132 million more people could be at risk if sea levels rise ~3 feet by the end of the century, with the Pacific and Southeast Asia most affected; the discrepancy stems from how land and water elevations are measured and may require planners to account for waves and tides rather than assuming a zero baseline.
Topics:worldscience#baseline-height#climate-change#coastal-flooding#pacific-region#science#sea-level-rise
- Study finds sea levels are higher than we thought, placing millions more at risk PBS
- Sea level much higher than assumed in most coastal hazard assessments Nature
- The sea is higher than we thought and millions more are at risk, study finds NBC News
- Sea Levels Are Already Higher Than Many Scientists Think, New Study Shows - The New York Times The New York Times
- Hundreds of studies have missed how much the oceans are rising Science News
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