Global Warming and Sea Level Rise
Dr. Judith Curry has published an important paper contributing to the knowledge base pertaining to sea level rise and global warming. The full paper is here.
There are a few highlights I wish to mention:
Some of the global warming activists would have you believe that sea level has been more or less constant over the eons. This, of course, is not correct. As Hubert Lamb (source of the quote, above, which appears in Dr. Curry's paper) points out, sea level has varied considerably during the last 4,000 years.
The conclusions begin on page 69 and they are well worth reading (non-technical). The bottom line is, "Recent research has concluded that there is no consistent or compelling evidence that recent rates of sea level rise are higher or abnormal in the context of the historical records back to the 19th century that are available across Europe." Europe, in this case, is a rough proxy for world sea level.
Of course, it is fair to point out that 500 years ago we did not have the highly expensive beachfront developments we enjoy now.* So, any unusual increase in sea level would be almost unbelievably expensive. Fortunately, that does not appear to be in the offing.
* This expensive property is the primary reason for the increase in hurricane loss rates, not stronger hurricanes. If you put more expensive "stuff" in harm's way, damage will increase.
The conclusions begin on page 69 and they are well worth reading (non-technical). The bottom line is, "Recent research has concluded that there is no consistent or compelling evidence that recent rates of sea level rise are higher or abnormal in the context of the historical records back to the 19th century that are available across Europe." Europe, in this case, is a rough proxy for world sea level.
Of course, it is fair to point out that 500 years ago we did not have the highly expensive beachfront developments we enjoy now.* So, any unusual increase in sea level would be almost unbelievably expensive. Fortunately, that does not appear to be in the offing.
* This expensive property is the primary reason for the increase in hurricane loss rates, not stronger hurricanes. If you put more expensive "stuff" in harm's way, damage will increase.
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