Sea Levels Rising Dramatically In Some Areas Due To Land Subsidence [global]
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https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sea-areas-due-subsidence.html <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72293-z <-- shared paper
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[#VLM = vertical land motion; #ASL = absolute sea-level; #RSL = relative sea-level; #GIA = (global) Glacial Isostatic Adjustment; #inSAR = Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar; #GNSS = Global Navigation Satellite System (~GPS); #OE24 = paper, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01357-2, interpolated VLM reconstruction based on the joint analysis of GNSS, tide gauges (TGs), and satellite altimetry]
“Densely populated coastal regions in many parts of the world are particularly vulnerable to flooding. The sinking of land masses exacerbates the impacts of rising sea levels in these areas, according to a [2026] study [link above.]
Global sea-level rise is one of the greatest challenges of climate change: more than half a billion people live in low-lying coastal zones. A research… has shown that people in densely populated coastal regions experience a relative sea-level rise of about 6 millimeters per year on average. This is roughly three times the coastline-weighted global mean of 2.1 millimeters per year, which describes the average relative rise measured worldwide along coastlines.
Even when compared with the climate-driven absolute sea-level rise of around 3.15 millimeters per year, the value is still nearly twice as high. This amplified rise is caused by sinking land, a process known as subsidence…”
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“Despite its strong influence on relative sea-level (RSL) rise, there is still low confidence in estimates of vertical land motion (VLM) and its contribution to RSL change. To address this problem, [they] synergize diverse VLM data, which now cover almost 65% of the coastal population, and are key to resolve small scale subsidence, including East, South, and Southeast Asian cities and populated deltaic regions, largely not covered by earlier geodetic measurements. [They found] that the average modern (1995-2020) global RSL rise experienced by coastal populations (6 mm/year) is about twice the climate-driven absolute sea-level rise. This reflects a strong tendency for higher rates of subsidence in densely populated areas, with 71% of the global coastal population living in subsiding regions. Paired with community efforts to extend consistent observations, these data are essential to ensure reliable estimates of present and future RSL rise to support risk and adaptation assessment...”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #sealevel #verticallandmotion #absolutesealevel #relativesealevel #GlacialIsostaticAdjustment #geomorphometry #SLR #sealevelrise #coast #coastal #flood #flooding #subsidence #landmass #landsubsidence #global #globalsealevelrise #climatechange #city #urban #farmlands #population #demographics #cities #planning #community #elevation #monitoring #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #altimetry