Climate change's effects will continue to progress. NASA and other U.S. government agencies have found that sea levels will rise up to a foot by the year 2050.
According to the report, sea levels along the U.S. coastlines will rise between 10 and 12 inches. In just 30 years, the ocean height could rise as much as it has risen in the past 100 years.
The most up-to-date, long term sea level rise projections for all of the United States and Territories were included in the new report.
Climate change is making Earth dimmer.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a news conference that it was time to address the climate crisis.
The science of the last 20 years has settled the question of human behavior that is driving this climate change, according to Nelson.
Nelson said that the report supports previous studies and confirms what they have known all along.
Climate change is causing sea levels to rise and ocean surface temperatures to warm. Nelson said that all of these facts are leading to more intense and destructive storms.
The report forecasts sea levels all the way to 2150. This is the first time that the report has projected sea levels just 30 years into the future, and previous reports only looked at the effects over longer timescales.
Agencies at the federal, state and local levels use these reports to inform their plans on anticipating and dealing with the effects of sea level rise, according to a statement from NASA.
Nelson talked about how NASA is working on issues related to climate change.
Nelson said that NASA is steadfast in protecting our home planet by expanding our monitoring capabilities and continuing to ensure our climate data is not only accessible but understandable.
Nelson said that NASA is going to put up five great observatories over the next decade to give us a better idea of what is happening to the atmosphere, the ice, the landmasses and the waters.
Nelson highlighted the agency's Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission that will give us the elevation of our lakes, rivers and streams, in addition to what we know on the elevation of the seas.
He said that the other agencies on the task force and the president's administration are serious about working to combat the effects of climate change.
Nelson said that this moment requires all hands on deck and that the Biden-Harris administration's response to climate change matches this threat.
The report is a wake up call for the United States, but it is also a wake-up call that comes with a silver lining. It gives us the information we need to be in a better position for the future. It will take all of us to make a difference in the future.
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