Pacific sea levels are rising faster than global average, says WMO

NEWS WIRES

26 August 2024 at 6:50 pm·2-min read

Sea levels in the Pacific Ocean are rising more rapidly than the global average, endangering low-lying island nations, a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) report revealed on Tuesday. While global sea levels have increased by an average of 3.4 millimeters annually over the last 30 years, the WMO report noted that regions north and east of Australia are experiencing significantly higher rates.

Sea level rises in the Pacific Ocean are outstripping the global average, a World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) report showed on Tuesday, imperiling low-lying island states.

Globally, sea level advances are accelerating as higher temperatures driven by the continued burning of fossil fuels melt once-mighty ice sheets, while warmer oceans cause water molecules to expand.

But even compared to the global average rate rise of 3.4 millimetres a year over the past three decades, the WMO report showed that the average annual increase was "significantly higher" in two measurement areas of the Pacific, north and east of Australia.

"Human activities have weakened the capacity of the ocean to sustain and protect us and – through sea level rise – are transforming a lifelong friend into a growing threat," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo in a statement to coincide with the release of the regional State of the Climate report 2023 at a forum in Tonga.

Already, such rises have brought a surge in the frequency of coastal flooding since 1980, with dozens of instances happening in islands like the Cook Islands and French Polynesia which previously reported just a handful of such cases annually.

(REUTERS)

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