Coastal sea level projections with improved accounting for vertical land motion

• DOI: 10.1038/srep16085
• Publication Date: 2015-11-03T10:14:20Z
• Authors: Guoqi Han; Zhimin Ma; Nan Chen; Jingsong Yang; Nancy Chen
• Keywords: Post-glacial rebound; Tide gauge; Satellite Altimetry

Abstract Regional and coastal mean sea level projections in the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) account only vertical land motion (VLM) associated with glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), which may significantly under- or over-estimate rise. Here we adjust AR5-like regional VLM from Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) measurements and/or a combination of altimetry tide-gauge data, include both GIA non-GIA VLM. Our results at selected locations on North American East Asian coasts show drastically different without being accounted for. The present study points to importance correcting IPCC AR5 making adaptation decisions.