Sea level rise has risen and fallen dramatically throughout Earth’s history, with times when there was no ice at the poles and others when it was hundreds of feet higher. Today, our sea levels are rising much faster than ever before, and scientists attribute this to human-induced climate change from burning fossil fuels.
Sea levels are rising everywhere, but some places are affected more than others. This has to do with local factors like ground settling, upstream flood control, regional ocean currents and whether the land is still rebounding from the compressive weight of vanished glaciers.
Storm surges are the most dangerous effect of rising seas, especially when they are combined with strong winds from a hurricane. They can rip away homes, overturn boats and destroy buildings and other infrastructure. In fact, they are responsible for most of the deaths caused by Hurricane Katrina and other large Atlantic and Gulf Coast hurricanes.
Traditionally, sea level rise has been measured by tide gauges, and satellites have given us a better handle on global trends. The satellites (like TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1, and OSTM/Jason-2) bounce radar signals off the surface of the ocean to determine how high or low the sea is.
The Climate Impacts Group has worked with partners to develop a set of tools that allow people to explore sea level rise projections for their communities in California. These maps can be used for risk assessment and planning in a range of ways, including coastal habitat restoration, community and land-use planning, and infrastructure design and operations.