Skip to content

Climate

One positive change, but emissions give centuries of rising sea-levels

by JW. Dowey 10 Jan 2017
One positive change, but emissions give centuries of rising sea-levels

This is the image we provided with our earlier story on how warm waters run deep in our oceans, as referenced below. Now we can progress with even more bad news on the influence of minor greenhouse gases on swelling our oceans and their sea-levels. There is good news with a positive result on how we have affected sea-levels by banning CFCs. NASA image; Credit: © NASA

Kirsten Zickfeld of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia leads a formidable triumvirate, combining youth and experience, in writing a PNAS paper on Centuries of thermal sea-level rise due to anthropogenic emissions of short-lived greenhouse gases. This follows up on the long-held assumption that we have to put up with the effects of our atmospheric pollutions for a period well beyond our personal lifetimes.

Susan Solomon (ref. her work on the Antarctic Ozone Hole and Daniel M Gifford of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US, are her 2 colleagues, with Veerabhadran Ramanathan of Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego doing the edit. They establish here a significant effect of greenhouse gases on both oceans and sea levels. Some gases live in our atmosphere for mere decades, but CO2 is well-known to be able to persist for many centuries.

The struggle we have right now in 2017 is to somehow reduce all climate change by cutting all emissions of this carbon dioxide, and the rest. Mitigation of the many gases means understanding how they operate. The bad news is that the short-lived GHGs may disappear, but they cause thermal expansion (TSLR or Thermal Sea Level Rise) that we have failed to notice in the oceans for a much longer time period. The seas will rise high in the future if we can’t restrict emissions of these gases!

Methane is one culprit, released both from industry and many natural stores that are now being released as global warming affects the earth. It remains in the atmosphere only for 10 years, but will expand the oceanic sea levels for 200 years. This is now fixed, even if no molecule of methane was ever emitted again. CFCs(chlorofluorocarbons) and HCFCs(hydrochlorofluorocarbons) have already been banned after the Montreal Protocol. Had we continued to emit these in such large quantities till 2050, the seas would have risen up by an extra 14cm in just one century, with more to come. This significant single success here should guide us as we struggle to reduce emissions generally, with reductions of carbon footprints from the US and China likely to be the biggest and the most politically-important.

Assessments in this study also take account of future possibilities even if atmospheric temperatures become more stable or decrease. It is the contributions of the oceans that is becoming increasingly obvious and important in our calculations. That great heat store in the deep (where, apparently, heat descends) will also be affecting air temperatures for a very long time. 2 years ago, we examined how ocean currents maintain thermal energy deep in the Atlantic and Pacific, while surface temperatures remain cool in Our climate change is related to deep ocean currents and glaciations. This paper again finds that 50% of our carbon dioxide will remain in the atmosphere for 750 years, even if 2050 sees the total end of emissions. Sea-levels will rise inexorably, whatever we do, endangering most of the world’s large cities (which happen to be near coasts, as that is where we built them.)


Trending Eco-Friendly Clothing

Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Love My Planet women's eco-friendly relaxed fit hoodieSize Guide Centimeters 8 10 12 14 16 18 Bust 84 88 92 97 103 108 Waist 66 70 75 80 85 91 Hips 91 95 99 104 109 116 Bust: Measure around the fullest part of...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Penguins Hate Push-Ups men's eco-friendly pullover HoodieSize Guide Centimeters XS S M L XL XXL Height 171 175 179 183 189 195 Chest 86 93 99 104 116 129 Waist 71 76 81 89 99 112 Chest: Measure all round your chest just below...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Lightning Bolt kids eco-friendly long sleeve t-shirtSize Guide Centimeters 3-4yrs 5-6yrs 7-8yrs 9-10yrs 11-12yrs Height 98 112 125 136 147 Chest 60 66 70 75 84 Chest: Measure all around your chest just below your armpits. Height: Your natural height If you fall between...
£18.00
£18.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Union Jack eco-friendly colour tote bagProduct Specification Organic Cotton Tote Bag. Twill Weave (170gsm). 37 x 42 cm (7cm gusset.) Made in India / Designed on the Isle of Wight. Wash Cool, Hang Dry.
£16.00
£16.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Prev Post
Next Post

Eco-Friendly Shop

Women's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Women Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable women’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Men's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Men Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable men’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Kids Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothes for Kids Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable kids clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies and jumpers. Our garments...
Shop Now
Someone recently bought a
[time] ago, from [location]

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Choose Options

Earth Times
Sign up for exclusive updates, new arrivals & insider only discounts

Recently Viewed

Edit Option
Back In Stock Notification
this is just a warning
Login
Shopping Cart
0 items

Before you leave...

Take 20% off your first order

20% off

Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order

CODESALE20

Continue Shopping