A recent study has revealed that the U.S. Southeast and Gulf coasts have experienced unprecedented and record-breaking rates of sea-level rise.

Tulane University researchers discovered that since 2010, the rate of sea-level rise in these areas has been approximately half an inch per year.

This rate is three times higher than the global average during the same period.

According to the study published in Nature Communications, sea levels along the U.S. Southeast and Gulf coasts have rapidly increased to record-breaking rates over the last 12 years.

The researchers detected a half-inch yearly increase in sea level since 2010. They attribute this acceleration to the compounded impact of both man-made climate change and natural climate variability.

“These rapid rates are unprecedented over at least the 20th century and they have been three times higher than the global average over the same period,” remarks lead author Sönke Dangendorf.

The researchers used a combination of field and satellite measurements since 1900 to identify the specific factors contributing to acceleration.

“We systematically investigated the different causes, such as vertical land motion, ice-mass loss, and air pressure, but none of them could sufficiently explain the recent rate,” points out co-author Noah Hendricks.

Instead, they “found that the acceleration is a widespread signal that extends from the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico up to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and into the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Seas, which is indicative for changes in the ocean’s density and circulation.”

During the last 12 years, the entire Subtropical Gyre region has expanded due to shifting wind patterns and increasing temperatures. This expansion has caused warmer water masses to require more space, contributing to the rise in sea level.

The team behind the study proposes that the recent acceleration of sea-level rise was a result of both the effects of man-made climate change and a peak in weather-related variability that persisted for several years. They anticipate that the rates of sea-level rise will return to the previously predicted moderate levels as determined by climate models in the upcoming decades.

“However, this is no reason to give the all clear,” comments co-author Torbjörn Törnqvist.

“These high rates of sea-level rise have put even more stress on these vulnerable coastlines, particularly in Louisiana and Texas where the land is also sinking rapidly.”

The findings, according to Dangendorf, “once again, demonstrate the urgency of the climate crisis for the Gulf region. We need interdisciplinary and collaborative efforts to sustainably face these challenges.”

Source: 10.1038/s41467-023-37649-9

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