Sea-Level Rise in Florida—the Facts and Science
UF Florida Sea Grant College Program By: Thomas Ruppert, Esq., Coastal Planning Specialist, Florida Sea Grant1
After the last ice age ended approximately 20,000
years ago, sea level rose rapidly,2 but for the last few
thousand years has been rising very slowly3 and has
been almost stable for the last 4-5 thousand years.4
Importantly, this recent era of stability encompasses
the history of human civilization, meaning significant
global sea-level rise is truly unprecedented in human
history.
How Has Sea-Level Changed During the Last
Century?
While sea level was first recorded on tide gauges in
some sites in Europe as early as the 17th century,5
the most reliable tide gauge data used for measuring
recent SLR in Florida only goes back a little more
than 100 years.6 In Florida, sea level has increased by
about 8 inches over this time, or about an average of
2 mm/yr. More recent data, based on satellite
altimetry, indicates that the average rate of rise in
this region since the early 1990s is about 3.0 mm/yr.
What causes sea levels to rise and fall?
The two main factors affecting global sea levels are
the temperature of the oceans and the amount of
water in the ocean. At the local level, sea level may
change due to the rising or falling of coastal land.
This short summary does not address myriad other
factors with smaller impacts on global or local sea
levels.7
More:
https://www.flseagrant.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/SLR-Fact-Sheet_dual-column-letterhead_8.2.13_pdf.pdf