{"id":54867,"date":"2025-01-27T10:08:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T10:08:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=54867"},"modified":"2025-01-27T10:08:02","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T10:08:02","slug":"sea-level-rise-may-surge-over-1-9-metres-by-2100","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/sea-level-rise-may-surge-over-1-9-metres-by-2100\/54867\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea-level rise may surge over 1.9 metres by 2100"},"content":{"rendered":"
A study led by researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), and Delft University of Technology, Netherlands (TU Delft), offers a more reliable approach to forecasting rising sea levels.<\/p>\n
Utilising an innovative \u2018fusion\u2019 method, the team projects that under a high-emission scenario, global sea levels could rise between 0.5 and 1.9 metres by 2100, significantly exceeding previous estimates.<\/p>\n
Traditional models for predicting sea-level rise rely on a mix of well-understood phenomena like glacier melt and more uncertain processes such as abrupt ice shelf collapses.<\/p>\n
These discrepancies lead to a wide variation in predictions, making it challenging to estimate the true extent of future risks.<\/p>\n
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has provided \u2018likely\u2019 ranges of sea-level rise, representing a 66% probability.<\/p>\n
However, these projections lack a \u2018very likely\u2019 range (90% probability), leaving decision-makers with incomplete data to plan for extreme outcomes.<\/p>\n
The NTU-led team developed the fusion method to fill this critical gap, which combines strengths from multiple existing models and integrates expert judgment.<\/p>\n
This novel approach offers a clearer picture of future sea-level rise, addressing uncertainties and providing a valuable resource for governments and urban planners.<\/p>\n
The fusion method blends statistical techniques with expert assessments using data from the IPCC\u2019s Sixth Assessment Report.<\/a><\/p>\n It incorporates projections with varying confidence levels, including both medium and low-confidence data, to capture extreme possibilities such as sudden ice sheet collapses.<\/p>\n A weighting system ensures that more reliable data is prioritised, while lower-confidence estimates are also factored in to account for uncertainty.<\/p>\n The findings reveal stark contrasts between scenarios:<\/p>\n These projections suggest that previous estimates may have underestimated the potential for extreme outcomes, with the possibility of sea levels rising nearly 90 cm higher than earlier assessments.<\/p>\n The broader uncertainty ranges highlighted by the fusion model underscore the urgent need for robust climate action.<\/p>\n A rise of up to 1.9 metres could have catastrophic impacts on coastal infrastructure, ecosystems, and communities.<\/p>\n Critical urban centres, particularly in low-lying regions, face increased vulnerability to flooding, storm surges, and habitat loss.<\/p>\n According to the research team, accurate projections are essential for guiding infrastructure investments and disaster preparedness.<\/p>\n Coastal cities must adopt adaptive measures, such as seawalls, elevated construction, and ecosystem-based solutions<\/a>, to safeguard against worst-case scenarios.<\/p>\n The fusion model\u2019s projections also reinforce the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions<\/a> to mitigate climate change.<\/p>\n While current trends suggest the world is on a trajectory between low- and high-emission scenarios, immediate action to limit emissions could prevent the most extreme sea-level rise outcomes.<\/p>\n Planning for the possibility of extreme sea-level rise, however, remains critical. Decision-makers are encouraged to incorporate very likely projections into risk assessments, ensuring that long-term infrastructure and urban planning can withstand even the most severe scenarios.<\/p>\n This pioneering study represents a significant breakthrough in sea-level science, addressing long-standing challenges in projecting future risks.<\/p>\n By providing a more comprehensive view of uncertainty, the fusion method sets a new standard for climate projections.<\/p>\n The researchers believe their approach could extend beyond sea-level rise to other areas, such as coastal flooding risk assessments<\/a> and economic impact forecasts.<\/p>\n By refining the fusion method further, they aim to contribute to global efforts to prepare for and mitigate the impacts of climate change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New projections reveal sea-level rise could reach 1.9m by 2100, emphasising the need for climate mitigation and coastal resilience planning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":54870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24433],"tags":[689,24549,758],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Implications of rising seas for coastal communities<\/h3>\n
Climate mitigation strategies<\/h3>\n
A new standard in sea-level science<\/h3>\n