Climate-Change–driven Accelerated Sea-level Rise Detected in the Altimeter Era

Authors

R. S. Nerem, University of Colorado
B. D. Beckley, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
J. T. Fasullo, National Center for Atmospheric Research
B. D. Hamlinigton, Old Dominion University
D. Masters, University of Colorado
Gary T. Mitchum, University of South FloridaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-2018

Keywords

sea level, acceleration, climate change, satellite altimetry

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1717312115

Abstract

Using a 25-y time series of precision satellite altimeter data from TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, Jason-2, and Jason-3, we estimate the climate-change–driven acceleration of global mean sea level over the last 25 y to be 0.084 ± 0.025 mm/y2. Coupled with the average climate-change–driven rate of sea level rise over these same 25 y of 2.9 mm/y, simple extrapolation of the quadratic implies global mean sea level could rise 65 ± 12 cm by 2100 compared with 2005, roughly in agreement with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report (AR5) model projections.

Rights Information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

PNAS, v. 115, issue 9, p. 2022-2025

Scholar Commons Citation

Nerem, R. S.; Beckley, B. D.; Fasullo, J. T.; Hamlinigton, B. D.; Masters, D.; and Mitchum, Gary T., "Climate-Change–driven Accelerated Sea-level Rise Detected in the Altimeter Era" (2018). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 1298.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1298