Sea levels have risen faster in the Gulf of Mexico and the Southeast coast than other parts of the U.S. in the last decade, according to two new studies.
The data shows a rapid rise in areas such as Pensacola, Cedar Key and Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, as well as accelerated rises on the east coast, from Miami up to Cape Hatteras.
The rate of acceleration exceeds the long-term trend, says a recent paper by Jianjun Yin, of the University of Arizona, and seems to have begun around 2010. The paper warns that the trend coincides with record-breaking North Atlantic hurricane seasons in recent years, resulting in elevated storm surge and more intense coastal flooding during storm events.
