Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Sea Levels Are Rising Much Faster Than We Thought
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jan 15, 2015
Modified Jan 15, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Jan 15, 2015
Modified Jan 15, 2015
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Life on Earth as we know it is imperiled—by now this is an obvious fact to everyone except the densest of self-serving politicians. Last year, we experienced the warmest 12 months ever recorded; the oceans' acidity levels are climbing at alarming rates, and scientists have confirmed that temperatures are increasing so dramatically that by 2100, July in NYC will be equivalent to a current summer in Florida. Now a new study says sea levels have risen far, far more quickly over the past couple of decades than we previously thought.
The study, released by a team of researchers from Harvard and Rutgers Universities, found that previous studies suggesting that the sea level had risen six inches from 1900 to 1990 were incorrect—in fact, the sea level had only risen 5 inches in that time period, a difference the Times notes would "fill three billion Olympic-size swimming pools."
This is not good news. This is bad news. If scientists misjudged the speed at which the sea level rose in the previous century, it means the rate at which it has risen since 1990—at about 1.2 inches per decade—has created an unprecedented gap. "Unfortunately, it is really much larger than anyone thought," researcher Carling Hay said in a statement, noting that the new rate of acceleration is about 25 percent higher than scientists had believed previously.
Note that scientists have previously suggested that our greenhouse gas emissions could push the sea level up by three feet by the end of the century [pdf]. Even a two-foot rise in the global sea level will bump NYC's sea level up by 2.3 feet, according to the EPA, and considering how prone Manhattan is to flooding already, this can only bode quite poorly for future generations. But whatever, we'll all be dead by then! #SaveOurStyrofoam, amirite?
Tagged
climate change
global warming
sea level
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mayor Mamdani orders review of NYPD use of force policies
The announcement comes as Mamdani faces mounting criticism from the left for his approach to policing.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 12, 2026 at 6:00 a.m. ET
Company that won $23M NYPD building contract was investigated by LI watchdog
Nassau County's inspector general questioned whether E&A Restoration had the “requisite business integrity” to be responsible for an $85 million contract to build a courthouse in Mineola.
By
Ben Feuerherd
News
Company that won $23M NYPD building contract was investigated by LI watchdog
Nassau County's inspector general questioned whether E&A Restoration had the “requisite business integrity” to be responsible for an $85 million contract to build a courthouse in Mineola.
By
Ben Feuerherd
Plainclothes ICE agent with long gun looked like mass shooter, Mayor Mamdani says
By
Michael Sol Warren
NJ Transit riders face 5 weeks of schedule disruptions starting Sunday
By
Giulia Heyward
For a Democrat in a traditionally red NJ district, how to woo Republican voters
By
Mike Hayes
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .