What does sea level rising 10 feet mean?

1. 65

   ThompsonPenposted 10 years ago

   What does sea level rising 10 feet mean?
   
   Does that mean that the sea is essentially 10 feet deeper, or does it mean it comes inland further ten feet? If it is ten feet deeper, then how far into the coast line does it creep?
   I found myself moving to an area that is at sea level, and half a mile from the shore, so I'm wondering about the long term stability of my house.

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2. 74

   CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years ago

   I live inland a short distance from the coast, but right down the road is one of those sea level markers.   I'm not sure how often we've had sea levels rise to 10 feet here. I think the marker goes to 11 feet.  It's usually caused by surges from hurricanes, around here anyway.
   
   In 1938, we had a devastating hurricane.  But Hurricane Sandy didn't impact us all that much (even though it devastated most areas around us).  I guess it depends on your location.  I have a friend in New Jersey who has had terrible luck with flooding.  She isn't even near one of those markers and gets flooded out by heavy rains several times a year.

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3. 45

   Ericdierkerposted 10 years ago

   Fun, out here on the Pacific Mexico-USA border we do not have them much as our coastline is not so calm.
   
   A fun fact is that you can go about 60 miles inland and the have one that starts over 100 feet in the air. I.e. the town is below sea level.

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4. 94

   watergeekposted 10 years ago

   It means if the sea level rises 10 feet higher, LA Airport will be under water. Think about it what that would do.

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