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A Semi-empirical Approach to Projecting Future Sea-level Rise

TitleA Semi-empirical Approach to Projecting Future Sea-level Rise
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2007
AuthorsRahmstorf, S.
JournalScience
Volume315
Issue5810
Pagination368-370
Date PublishedJAN 19 2007
ISBN Number0036-8075
KeywordsOCEAN
Abstract

A semi-empirical relation is presented that connects global sea-level rise to global mean surface temperature. It is proposed that, for time scales relevant to anthropogenic warming, the rate of sea-level rise is roughly proportional to the magnitude of warming above the temperatures of the pre-Industrial Age. This holds to good approximation for temperature and sea-level changes during the 20th century, with a proportionality constant of 3.4 millimeters/year per degrees C. When applied to future warming scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, this relationship results in a projected sea-level rise in 2100 of 0.5 to 1.4 meters above the 1990 level.

DOIDOI 10.1126/science.1135456
Reference number

103

Short TitleA Semi-empirical Approach to Projecting Future Sea-level Rise
Citation Key103