PHILADELPHIA – A new study led by Rutgers University that looked at sea level rise at six locations on the East Coast over the last 2,000 years found that levels rose twice as fast in the 20th century compared with previous eras, and that South Jersey experienced the highest rates overall.
The authors concluded in the study published in the journal Nature Communications that global sea rise from melting ice and warming oceans from 1900 to 2000 increased at a rate more than double the average for the previous 1,800 years.
Sea levels don’t rise uniformly like water running into a bathtub, but rather are influenced regionally by local and global factors. The authors took into account a complex array of influences including a natural sinking of the land due to geological reasons, ocean dynamics, and groundwater withdrawal.
The study looked at three locations in New Jersey: Leeds Point in Atlantic County, Cape May Court House in Cape May County, and Cheesequake State Park in Middlesex County. They also looked at East River Marsh in Connecticut, Pelham Bay in the Bronx, and Roanoke Island in North Carolina.