sea level rise as estimated by tide gauge data is found to be 13mm/decade

Rise in Sea Level

Reported study published in Environmental Research Letters of Nov., 2012, through http:// iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/4/0440305/article confirms that sea level rise is happening as fast and in some cases faster than climate models had projected. The satellite based linear trend during 1993-2011 is estimated to be 3.2±0.5mm/year that is about 60% higher than the best estimate of 2.0mm/year by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2007 assessment report. However, the estimated sea level rise by the tide gauge records (of over 200) for the period 1993-2009 is found to be about 2.8±0.8mm/year. Sea level rise is a very slow phenomenon and is manifested globally with pockets of sea level rise/fall trends. However, the trends of sea level rise as estimated by tide gauge data is found to be 13mm/decade. The corresponding satellite derived estimates over the Indian Ocean are found to be in the range of 3.0mm/year with pockets of higher rise along the east of Malaya peninsula, south Indian Ocean between Madagascar and Australia. However, no alarming warning has been given by the concerned authorities, both foreign and Indian, to the population living in the coastal regions. Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Shri S.Jaipal Reddy gave this information in reply to a written question in the Rajya Sabha today.