Why is sea level rising faster in some places along the US East Coast than others?

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December 19, 2018, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Why is sea level rising faster in some places along the US East Coast than others?
Sea level rise above the city’s existing sea walls regularly floods the City Dock in Annapolis, Maryland.  Credit: Amy McGovern

https://phys.org/news/2018-12-sea-faster-east-coast.html

Sea levels are rising globally from ocean warming and melting of land ice, but the seas aren’t rising at the same rate everywhere. Sea levels have risen significantly faster in some U.S. East Coast regions compared to others. A new study led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) reveals why.

Over the 20th century, sea level has risen about a foot and a half in coastal communities near Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and along the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. In contrast, New York City and Miami have experienced about a 1-foot rise over the same period, while sea levels farther north in Portland, Maine, rose only about half a foot.

The reason is a phenomenon called “post-glacial rebound,” explains…

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