An unusual rise in sea levels caused by changes in ocean circulation resulted in unexplained floods and high tides that occurred along the East Coast in 2009 and 2010, according to a
new study conducted by University of Arizona (UA) researchers.
The study, published this week in the journal
Nature Communications, found that levels increased an unexpected 4 inches in 2009 and 2010, despite the absence of any intense storm or hurricane activity.
"The thing that stands out is the time extent of this event as well as the spatial extent of the event," said Paul Goddard, a UA doctoral candidate in geosciences and co-author of the report.
By reviewing monthly tide-gauge records dating back to the early 1900s, the researchers found that the spike in sea levels lasted for two years, which had never occurred before, and was caused by changes in ocean circulation.
The scientists reported that changes in the ocean's Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and part of the climate system known as the North Atlantic Oscillation were the primary cause and asserted that with the current rate of increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, similar events are likely to occur more frequently.
"We are the first to establish the extreme sea level rise event and its connection with ocean circulation," said co-author Jianjun Yin, who works in the university's geosciences department.
The researchers did not discount the role of global warming.
“This is a very extreme event. The sea level has since dropped after that spike, but it is still much higher than it was when the spike began in 2009. … Global warming definitely contributed to this event," Jianjun Yin of UA
told The Washington Post in a phone interview.
While the science continues to develop, some city and state officials along the East Coast, particularly in New York City, are taking action nonetheless.
Last week, the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC)
released a study that says the city’s sea levels have risen by around 3 cm per decade — nearly twice the global average — and that the number of coastal areas affected by floods could double by 2100.
Increases of that magnitude would be equivalent to a rise of 6 feet, the report says.
"We expect temperatures to increase, precipitation likely to go up as well, and an acceleration of sea level rise. Sea level rise alone is going to increase the flood risk," Radley Horton, a Columbia University scientist and panel member,
told The New York Daily News.
The administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio plans to implement a long-term strategy to build on short-term measures already in place,
according to a release from the mayor's office.
To date, the city has moved updated building and zoning codes, including 16 new local laws to improve residential and commercial resiliency, and has made reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's national flood insurance program.
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