For the past ten years sea levels along the Gulf of Mexico have been rising at a rate faster than anywhere else in the world, according to a new study by Tulane University researchers.
Torbjörn Törnqvist and Soenke Dangendorf, the two authors behind the study, looked at tide gauge data from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina down into the Gulf of Mexico and found that seas were rising at a rate of roughly 10 mm per year since 2010.
"The numbers were really high so we haven’t seen comparable rates very often before" said Soenke, adding that those rates are some of the highest world wide.
While sea level rise is created by a multitude of different factors and can be exacerpated by ice melt and subsidence, the paper suggests that during the last decade there's been something different at work.
"We quickly found out that it's ocean warming and changes in circulation" said Soenke.
Winds in the tropical Atlantic have pushed warmer water into the Gulf of Mexico which has lead to the rise in sea levels, something that both researchers say is a natural cycle.
The rate of the sea level rise, however, is what has made the last ten years different and something that can be contributed to changes in the climate.
Neither Torbjörn nor Soenke expects such a rate to continue indefinitely and eventually the cycle will return to a more normal rate.
They both say, however, that doesn't mean the issue is going away.
"Now of course sea level is going to continue to rise, there’s no way around that" said Torbjörn, warning that while the rate at which seas are rising may not be as high it will still be problematic.
Torbjörn believes that what the Gulf Coast has experienced over the last ten years could be a snapshot at what sea level rise will look like toward the end of the century.
This can give us an idea of the impacts we may be looking at as seas continue to rise, coastal flooding for example has doubled in frequency over the last ten years.
"It’s already effecting our daily lives so it’s a very urgent issue and it will not get less in the next couple of years" said Soenke with Torbjörn adding " If this becomes the new normal, well then it’s going to be a very tough story."
In the meantime this will give Torbjörn the chance to study the rapid rise's impact on Louisiana's wetlands, an already fragile ecosystem and a vital part of our hurricane protection.
The last ten years have put a lot of stress on Louisiana's wetlands but studying their response to the last ten years could give us an idea of their resilience in the face of future sea level rise.
If you would like to read the full research paper you can find it in the Nature Journal.
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