• Climate in the Gulf
• The Report
• For Teachers
• Overview
• Slow the Change
• Speed our Response
• Overview
• Water Resources
• Sea-Level Change
• Human Perspectives
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Sea-Level Change
Ocean temperatures have been warming over the last 100 years and are likely to keep warming in the future. Warming water expands in volume, and this 'thermal' expansion of the world's oceans is the major reason that sea level is rising. Smaller contributions to sea-level rise also come from the melting of mountain glaciers and ice caps. Over the last century, sea level has risen by between 8 and 40 inches along different regions of the Gulf Coast, due to thermal expansion of the oceans and substantial local sinking of land. Taking into account continued land sinking, scientists predict that sea level along the Gulf Coast is likely to rise by another 15 to 40 inches by 2100 (specific information for each state can be found under "Climate Projections" within the "Survey the Gulf States" section). The Gulf Coast region has a flat topography, which will move the coastline quite far inland even with only a few inches of sea-level rise. This threatens houses, community infrastructure, port facilities, and ecosystems. See how sea-level rise affects the Gulf Coast region in our interactive web feature "Sea-Level Rise."
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• Overview
• Alabama
• Florida
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Texas
• Overview
• Apalachicola Bay
• Big Thicket
• Everglades
• Laguna Madre
• Mississippi Delta
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