Consequences of Rising Sea Level

Consequences of Rising Sea Level
 

News: As per the WMO’s ‘State of the Global Climate 2022’ report, the world’s sea level is rising at an unprecedented rate.
 

Background:
 The rate of global mean sea-level [GSML] rise has doubled from 2.27 mm/year in 1993-2002 to 4.62 mm/year in 2013-2022.
 GSML budget (individual contribution of these factors) - Loss of glaciers and ice sheets contributed 36% to the GSML rise (between 2005-2019), Ocean warming (55%), and changes in the storage of land water (less than 10%).
 

Causes:
 Ocean warming - increasing concentrations of CO2 and other GHGs drive global warming, 90% of the extra heat is stored in the oceans.
 Ice loss from glaciers and ice sheets.
 Earth’s ice cover/cryosphere includes the Arctic and Antarctic regions (called sea ice), Glaciers, Ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, Seasonal snow cover, and Permafrost (mass of land that remains below 0ºC for at least two straight years).

Impacts of Rising Sea Level

o Changes in land cover

o Cyclonic formation will only increase

o Groundwater will turn saline

o Impact on agri practices especially in coastal areas

o Migration of people living in coastal areas

o Impact on livelihood of coastal communities