Study released Monday analyzed sea levels and global temperatures over thousands of years.
Sea levels around the world rose faster during the 20th century than they did during the previous 2,700 years, according to researchers at Rutgers University, who say warmer temperatures likely contributed to the recent rise in sea levels.
"A significant global sea level acceleration began in the 19th century and yielded a 20th century rise that is extremely likely faster than during any of the previous 27 centuries," the study says.
Without the warming of air temperatures around the world, sea levels globally would have risen by less than half of the levels that were observed in the 20th century, and they might have decreased, the study found.
The lead author of a study on global sea levels was Robert E. Kopp, left, an associate professor in Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University. Also involved in the study was Benjamin P. Horton, right, a professor of sea level research in Rutgers' Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences. (Rutgers University) The researchers said global sea levels rose by about 14 centimeters, or 5.5 inches, from 1900 to 2000. That's a substantial increase, especially for vulnerable, low-lying coastal areas.
The lead author of the study, which was published Monday in the journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," was Robert E. Kopp, an associate professor in Rutgers' Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Also involved in the study was Benjamin P. Horton, a professor of sea level research in Rutgers' Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences. Both are members of the Institute of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences at Rutgers.
In their study, they and other researchers analyzed sea levels and global temperature fluctuations over 3,000 years, using a huge database of tide-gauge data from 66 locations around the world as well as ecological data from salt marshes, coral reefs and archaeological sites.
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Kopp said samples of sediment in salt marshes were analyzed for micro-fossils, and researchers were able to determine how high the tide lines compared to the current levels.
"The 20th century rise was extraordinary in the context of the last three millennia - and the rise over the last two decades has been even faster," Kopp said.
The study also found significant correlations between lower sea levels during periods of lower air temperatures, Kopp noted. Specifically, the researchers found that the global sea level declined by about 8 centimeters, or 3 inches, from 1000 to 1400, a period when the planet cooled by about 0.2 degrees Celsius, or 0.4 degrees Fahrenheit.
"It is striking that we see this sea-level change associated with this slight global cooling," Kopp said. By comparison, the global average temperature today is about 1 degrees Celsius, or 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, higher than it was in the late 19th century.
The study did not focus on localized sea levels, such as those along the New Jersey coast, although it included some earlier data on sea level fluctuations along the Atlantic Ocean in New Jersey and also in North Carolina.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @LensReality. Find NJ.com on Facebook.