sea level news stories on Newser

Venice Sinking Again, Slowly

Kevin Spak — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:28:40 CDT

Venice is sinking once again, according to new satellite readings. The famous canal-ridden city sank significantly last century thanks to underground water extraction, but once that practice stopped, data from the early 2000s indicated that the city had stabilized. But now a team of US and Italian researchers has concluded...

Sea Level Rise Doubles Risk of Catastrophic US Flood

Kevin Spak — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:04:23 CDT

Coastal states are now twice as likely to experience a so-called once-in-a-century flood by 2030, thanks to a global warming-fueled rise in sea levels, according to a trio of reports released today. Census data shows 5 million people are in the danger zone, particularly in cities, where many people live...

Scientists Revolt in Perry Climate Change Clash

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:11:23 CDT

Officials appointed by Rick Perry have sparked a new firestorm in Texas over climate change science, the Guardian reports. Every scientist behind a recent 200-page environmental report is demanding to have his name stricken from the document after state officials deleted references to climate change. "This is simply antithetical to...

Greenland, Antarctic Ice Melting Faster Than Expected

Kevin Spak — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:08:00 CST

The ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica are melting significantly faster than previously estimated, according to a new international report led by scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Unless the trend is reversed, the melting ice sheets will push global sea levels up six inches by 2050, the scientists found.

Sea Levels to Rise 13 Feet by Year 3000

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 07:34:32 CST

Best case scenario: Even if we give up using all fossil fuels this very second and manage to stop all carbon dioxide emissions, the West Antarctic ice sheet is expected to collapse by the year 3000, causing sea levels to rise by at least 13 feet. The catastrophic prediction is...

Disputed Island Disappears Beneath Waves

Kevin Spak — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 18:02:27 CDT

An island that both India and Bangladesh have claimed ownership of for years has vanished, Indian scientists say. Satellite photos indicate that the island, known as New Moore Island in India and South Talpatti Island in Bangladesh, has sunk beneath the rising sea. The tiny island has never had a...

Sea Rise Estimates Double

Rob Quinn — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:57:36 CST

Accelerated melting of Antarctic ice is set to send sea levels rising double previous estimates, researchers warn. The seas will rise by 4.5 feet by the end of this century if temperatures continue climbing at the current rate, threatening coastal cities like New York and Shanghai, according to the...

NASA Mission Monitors Polar Ice

John Johnson — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:02:56 CDT

NASA has begun a mission much closer to home than usual. The agency is flying a DC-8 over Antarctica to track melting glaciers and any subsequent rise in sea levels. Operation Ice Bridge is designed to buttress the work of a fading satellite, ICESat, which is just about spent after...

Maldives Leaders Meet Underwater on Climate

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:25:26 CDT

Members of the Maldives' Cabinet donned scuba gear and used hand signals today at an underwater meeting staged to highlight the threat of global warming to the lowest-lying nation on earth. President Mohammed Nasheed and 13 other government officials submerged and took their seats at a table on the sea...