It’s well known that global sea levels are rising, but now NASA is showing by just how much.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration shared an animation that shows how far sea levels have risen between 1993 and 2022.
Over those three decades, sea levels have risen about 3.5 inches.
That may not seem like a lot, but the animation should be used as a visual metaphor. NASA said it’s designed to look like a submerged porthole of a boat as water can be seen lapping outside the window.
3.5 inches doesn’t sound like a lot but many places are only a handful of inches above sea level. I think where I am it’s about 18. So yeah 3.5 is significant.
For homes, shops and industries in port towns, it can make the difference between having a problematic but manageable flood every 20 years, or having hugely damaging floods every 5 years.