US EditionNew Study Finds Sea Levels Far Higher Than Assumed, Raising Flood Risk for Millions
Most coastal studies underestimated sea levels by 24–30 cm, increasing land exposure by 37% and threatening up to 132 million more people, especially in the Global South.
- Using a review of 385 peer‑reviewed studies, researchers reported Wednesday in Nature that over 90% underestimated baseline coastal water heights by roughly 24–27 cm, according to authors.
- Geoids, not local measurements, produced large errors because many studies used unadjusted geoids instead of tide gauges and satellite observations, authors said.
- Using the revised baseline, the study estimates a 1 metre rise could flood 37% more land and add 77 million to 132 million people exposed by 2100.
- Planners face potential mistiming and underfunding of adaptation as governments and planners may use an incomplete picture of ocean change, while Seeger and Minderhoud released open‑source coastal sea‑level datasets and urged reassessments.
- Because impacts cluster in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, researchers call for more tide gauges and local measurements, as the study raises low‑elevation coastal population estimates from about 80 million to between 97 million and 107 million people.
92 Articles
92 Articles
Sea Levels Are Higher Than We Thought, And The Implications Are Huge
Climate change's rising seas may threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government planners originally thought because of mistaken research assumptions on how high coastal waters already are, a new study said.
Study finds sea levels are higher than we thought, placing millions more at risk
Climate change's rising seas may threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government planners originally thought because of mistaken research assumptions on how high coastal waters already are, a new study said.
Sea is higher than we thought, millions more at risk: study
Researchers studied hundreds of scientific studies and hazard assessments, calculating that about 90% of them underestimated baseline coastal water heights by an average of 30 cm, according to a study in the journal Nature
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