A New Study Has Found The Year When Sea Level Rise Truly Began Accelerating

An analysis of sea levels over the past 2,000 years shows a rapid increase in line with the Industrial Revolution.

The rate of sea level rise had surpassed background variability by 1863. The first hints of ocean warming and glacier melt from human activity also show up in research, and both of these factors are known to contribute to rising seas.

The analysis found global sea levels fluctuated between a decline and an increase for 1,700 years.

Before the Industrial Revolution and the burning of fossil fuels, sea levels were decreasing by 0.1 millimeters a year.

From 1940 to 2000 global sea levels increased by over a millimeter a year.

The authors write that it is almost certain that the global rate of rise from the most recent 60-year interval was faster than previous 60-year intervals.

This isn't the first analysis to try and put a date on sea level rise, but it is one of the first to compare individual sites in certain regions against a global signal.

Some parts of the North Atlantic showed signs of sea level rise according to a timeline of published instrumental and proxy data.

Sea levels began rising in the mid- to late 19th century in the mid-Atlantic region. The rate of sea level rise doesn't stand out until the 20th century according to data from the Atlantic coast of Canada and Europe.

The influence global sea-level rise has had on our planet in the last century is demonstrated by the fact that modern rates emerge at all of our study sites by the mid-20th century.

Further analysis of the spatial variability in the time of emergence at different locations will continue to improve society's understanding of how regional and local processes impact rates of sea-level rise.

The sea-level accelerated in the 19th century. Between 1820 and 1860, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found a sustained increase.

The new research shows sea level rise from region to region across the Atlantic.

Sea levels are on track to rise faster than ever over the next century and we need to know what is going to happen so we can mitigate the effects.

The study was published in a journal.