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spirosand t1_j6ol9l5 wrote

The ocean is about 9 inches higher than it was in 1900. It has risen about 3 inches in the last 20 years.

The rate of sea level rise will only increase going forward (we should be at a foot by about 2030). Two to 3 feet by 2100 .

Cheers.

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Viv3210 t1_j6on3ki wrote

The follow-up question is: why don’t “we” see that yet? Is that global, as in are the oceans a perfect ball shape? (My guess is not) What places have already faced consequences?

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bradland t1_j6p5kto wrote

I live in South Florida. We see it.

Keep in mind that when they say sea level rise, they’re talking averages. Tides vary already. The ocean level rises and falls on every coastline.

What we’re seeing locally is that high tides inundate areas that weren’t previously subject to inundation, and areas that are normally tidally inundated stay wet longer, and in some places don’t dry out at all.

There’s a local boat ramp nearby that has a storm drain that stays flooded to the top pretty much all the time now. When I was a kid it would only flood with the tide.

We’re also seeing tremendous beach erosion. The shore is at a gradual slope, so every inch or rise moves the shore break a foot or so closer to the dune. This erodes the dune and makes for a short, steep beach.

When I was a kid, you could play frisbee in front of a local beachside pizza shop. That same shop is now atop a sea wall. There is nothing between it and the sea.

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breckenridgeback t1_j6oomo9 wrote

> The follow-up question is: why don’t “we” see that yet?

We do see it. It has consequences along the coasts everywhere in the world.

The reason it's not, like, submerging entire continents is that most land is more than 9 inches above sea level.

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OculusArcana t1_j6p4qe6 wrote

This is BULLSHIT! I want my beachfront property in Nevada YESTERDAY!! Somebody get me Lex Luthor on the phone!!!

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breckenridgeback t1_j6p4uvk wrote

I regret to inform you that the Nevada desert is at an elevation of about 4000 feet.

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elkarion t1_j6pgra8 wrote

We're hoping for water to hydralicly split the fault line off so Cali leaves sooner. We need to start filling that sucker now.

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Spadeninja t1_j6p5hit wrote

I’ve got a beach house I can sell you in Idaho

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spirosand t1_j6oov08 wrote

Miami and NYC are feeling the effects, king high tides are problematic. It's pretty much worldwide.

Sand beaches just move with the sea level, so there isn't much visible effect.

The ocean is seldom just calm, so it's hard to see actual photos of direct sea level rise. It's more that more and more places are flooding.

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aspheric_cow t1_j6orxb7 wrote

We do see it, mainly in the form of flooding from storms. The flooding is worse because the sea level is high to begin with, and you've got storm surges etc. on top of that. Many coastal cities are building flood barriers.

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Any-Broccoli-3911 t1_j6or03c wrote

Because you don't live in a low altitude region most likely, which is normal since most people live a lot more than 1 meter above the sea level and we won't even get an increase of 1 meter by 2100 in most prediction (though we will get close).

Also, most low altitude regions have dikes to block the sea and river from flooding the land.

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NdavG100 t1_j6oo2zz wrote

If i'm not mistaken there is an island which has started to be drowned and lost like a quarter of its area

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maveric_gamer t1_j6os8j0 wrote

I think you're thinking of Tuvalu - they're a Polynesian island nation that are currently trying to recreate all of their cultural heritage digitally and back it up into online spaces to preserve it, as it is one of the first nations to have a significant portion of its land area submerged by rising sea levels.

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nim_opet t1_j6oo6oh wrote

We do see it. Pretty much every coastal community is affected; some are more low lying so it’s more noticeable, some coastlines are simply higher and effects such as loss of land are not noticeable.

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-au-re-li-us- t1_j6ouyiw wrote

The ocean is actually something of an oblong oval that is pulled into that shape by the gravity of the moon. The tides are this oval being rotated around the earth as it (the earth) moves relatively to the moon and vice versa.

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formerly_gruntled t1_j6p8ij9 wrote

Ask the folks in Newport News VA about their flooding ocean from streets.

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los-gokillas t1_j6p66d8 wrote

You can see it if you look. I've had a favorite walking spot on the coast of New Hampshire and I can definitely see now how the coast has eroded in the last three years

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Potato_Octopi t1_j6p3zer wrote

You're not going to notice 9 inches over 100 years vs the daily rise and fall of tides.

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CurrentOutrageous855 t1_j6pfwln wrote

Just to add to this, there is a common vein that we are helpless and half the coast will disappear. Maldives have expanded, and denmark been dealing with it for centuries

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A_California_Guy t1_j6p9rks wrote

Fun facts: human impairment of rivers (ie through dams, dredging, and other changes to their natural flow) has actually slowed sea level rise by a small but not insignificant margin.

Most sea level rise at this point is being driven by melting ices in places like Antarctica, Greenland, and the Arctic.

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jengibredia t1_j6p5ux0 wrote

They are, even places like Malibu the older beach front homes are unliveable because the ocean gets in them when there's storms. The new beach houses have retaining walls.

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Eithersnore t1_j6ou8g6 wrote

Follow up question, how do they measure the sea level?

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TrashGeologist t1_j6pbnde wrote

NOAA can use satellites that send down signals and measure the time it takes for it to bounce back. Same idea as a laser measurer you might use around the house, only a lot more lasers in a lot more places over a long period of time

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superbob201 t1_j6ovr42 wrote

Take a bunch of measurements all over the world and do a weighted average.

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deadcommand t1_j6pjy98 wrote

They have been, but oceans are massive (to put it lightly) and so it takes a lot to raise them significantly.

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--LowBattery-- t1_j6p69n7 wrote

Oceans have been rising steady for the last 12500 years. There are thousands of cities/villages/churches/pyramids/etc under water all over the world.

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todlee t1_j6pcwes wrote

Yeah, as the last Ice Age ended. At its lowest point, sea level was 400'+ below where it is today. That was about 20,000 years ago, then it raised steadily for 15,000 years.

About 5000 years ago sea level stabilized, and now it's rising faster than it has in thousands of years. The planet has seen huge swings in sea level -- human civilization has not.

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MoarTacos t1_j6p6u2p wrote

I’m sure you get this often, but my reaction to your username and profile pic borderline on visceral.

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