Article
Environmental Sciences
Benjamin H. Strauss, Scott A. Kulp, D. J. Rasmussen, Anders Levermann
Summary: Human-caused carbon dioxide emissions will have long-lasting impacts on global temperatures and sea levels. Many major cities, particularly in Asia, will face unprecedented exposure levels from sea level rise. Countries like China, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam have large populations residing in areas vulnerable to high tide lines, while small island nations are at risk of near-total loss. Meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement could significantly reduce the exposure and protect coastal megacities from extensive defense requirements.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Michalis Vousdoukas, Joanne Clarke, Roshanka Ranasinghe, Lena Reimann, Nadia Khalaf, Trang Minh Duong, Birgitt Ouweneel, Salma Sabour, Carley E. Iles, Christopher H. Trisos, Luc Feyen, Lorenzo Mentaschi, Nicholas P. Simpson
Summary: Many African heritage sites are currently at risk from rising sea levels, which could more than triple under high emissions scenarios. Mitigating emissions can reduce the number of highly exposed sites. These findings highlight the urgent need for increased climate change adaptation for heritage sites in Africa, including governance, vulnerability assessments, monitoring, and protection strategies.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
S. Sadai, R. A. Spector, R. DeConto, N. Gomez
Summary: Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are causing unprecedented changes to the climate, leading to irreversible impacts on island and coastal populations. This review article investigates the climate justice implications of temperature targets and sea level rise, highlighting the impact on island states and the role of AOSIS in UN climate negotiations. The study also discusses the dual impacts from Antarctic ice sheet melting and its implications for global temperature rise and sea level rise.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fatemeh Izaditame, Matthew G. Siebecker, Donald L. Sparks
Summary: This study investigated the impact of sea-level rise-induced flooding on the release of arsenic and selected hazardous chemicals in contaminated sediments, finding that the dissolved concentrations of pollutants remain high even after flooding.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Yetang Wang, Cunde Xiao
Summary: The Antarctic surface mass balance (SMB) is an important factor in regulating global sea level changes. By combining ice core records, reanalysis products, and climate models, this study provides a comprehensive reconstruction of the spatial and temporal complete SMB over the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) for the past 310 years. The results show a significant positive trend in SMB over the entire AIS, with a larger increase rate since 1801. This increased SMB has cumulatively dampened global sea level rise, although the dynamics of the ice sheet were not considered.
JOURNAL OF CLIMATE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hannes Nevermann, Amir AghaKouchak, Nima Shokri
Summary: Coastal wetlands provide crucial ecosystem services but are threatened by sea level rise due to climate change. Data on the interactions between natural or human-made barriers and future sea level rise are lacking. Wetlands bounded by human-made infrastructure are expected to disappear permanently.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Review
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Jaap H. Nienhuis, Wonsuck Kim, Glenn A. Milne, Melinda Quock, Aimee B. A. Slangen, Torbjorn E. Tornqvist
Summary: Future sea-level rise is a serious threat to river deltas, but understanding the exact impact is challenging. Current knowledge is based on models, experiments, and geologic records, with improvements in detecting and modeling past and future sea-level changes. However, uncertainties remain, especially regarding subsidence rates and validating models.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Georgios Boumis, Hamed. R. R. Moftakhari, Hamid Moradkhani
Summary: The design of coastal defense structures needs to consider the projected sea-level rise. Global annual maxima sea levels have been increasing primarily due to a rise in mean sea level. Non-stationary extreme value theory is applied to model sea levels with mean sea level as a covariate, showing that many locations will experience their present-day 100-year return level as a more frequent event in the future. By the end of this century, almost all locations examined will encounter their current 100-year return level on an annual basis.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Aaron Bagnell, Tim DeVries
Summary: Global sea level rise is primarily caused by heating of the ocean and the input of freshwater from melting ice. This study shows that trends in sea level rise can also be accurately tracked by observing changes in ocean salinity. The results highlight the importance of measuring ocean salinity for monitoring global sea level changes.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
M. D. Palmer, C. M. Domingues, A. B. A. Slangen, F. Boeira Dias
Summary: The study introduces an ensemble approach for quantifying historical global mean sea-level rise, which provides a conservative estimate of total uncertainty by combining internal and structural uncertainties. Comparisons with past assessments and satellite altimeter data show good agreement with the results. Sensitivity tests demonstrate the robustness of the estimates to variations in reference period and central estimate timeseries, indicating potential applications to other global or regional climate change indicators.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Amanda Daria Stoltz, Manoj Shivlani, Robert Glazer
Summary: The study found that fishing industry perspectives on sea-level rise risk and adaptation in three Florida coastal communities vary across sectors and communities, influenced strongly by experience, community dynamics, and age. Older fishers are less willing to relocate due to social factors like place attachment, while younger fishers are more likely to retreat or work from a less vulnerable location. These findings suggest that adaptation responses are mediated by age, attachment to place, and worldviews, and need to be considered when crafting adaptation strategies across coastal communities.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Paul Chinowsky, Jacob Helman
Summary: The national study analyzes the impacts of sea level rise and storm surge scenarios on 5.7 million geographic locations across 3 time periods, projecting a need for at least 80,000 km of protective barriers to combat a $400 billion threat by 2040. The research aims to identify vulnerable infrastructure and associated costs, focusing on consistency in protecting coastal infrastructure with seawalls throughout the lower 48 states.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Gary Griggs, Borja G. Reguero
Summary: The Earth's changing climate is causing ice sheets and glaciers to melt, leading to rising coastal hazards and sea levels. Coastal areas with a total population of over 300 million people, including 20 megacities, are among the most vulnerable to climate change impacts. Sea-level rise, combined with other factors, could lead to the displacement of hundreds of millions of people, with significant global impacts.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sourav Samanta, Sugata Hazra, Jon R. French, Robert J. Nicholls, Partho P. Mondal
Summary: In this paper, we conduct simulations to explore the potential evolution of the Indian Sundarbans mangroves under various scenarios of sea-level rise and consider the impacts of inundation and shoreline erosion. The results show significant mangrove decline in all cases, with greater losses as sea level rises. It is estimated that by the end of the century, the Indian Sundarbans mangroves could lose between 42% and 80% of their current area if current management practices continue.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Johnson Ankrah, Ana Monteiro, Helena Madureira
Summary: The impacts of sea level rise under climate change are detrimental to coastal zones and livelihoods. This study examines the geospatiality of these impacts and community adaptation strategies, suggesting a need for more ecosystem-based strategies. Results reveal limited policy support for coastal communities, with a focus on structural and physical options rather than socio-ecological benefits.
