12/20/2024

Why Sea Level Rise is Skyrocketing across the Southern U.S.

What one tide gauge reveals about America’s climate future

The Fort Pulaski tide gauge sits on a small, narrow pier just 15 miles east of Savannah, Georgia. It is one of more than a hundred stations across the country that track high and low tides, temperatures, wind speeds, air pressure — and the rising seas.

For 90 years, this station has returned a steady stream of data to scientists, locals and ship captains, helping them track the rhythms of the ocean and avoid perilously low tides.

It has also shown a dangerous trend: Since 2010, the sea level at the Fort Pulaski gauge has risen by more than 7 inches, one of the fastest rates in the country, according to a Washington Post analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data for 127 tide gauges.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.