Email Print Share

News From the Field

New Study Lowers Estimate of Ancient Sea-level Rise


March 14, 2012

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

The seas are creeping higher as the planet warms. But how high will they go? In Bermuda and the Bahamas, researchers have gone looking for answers. By pinpointing where shorelines stood during a warm period 400,000 years ago, they hope to narrow the range of projections. After correcting for apparent sinking of the islands, the researchers, who've published their study in Nature, estimate the seas rose 20 to 43 feet higher than today--far less than previous estimates.Full Story

Source
The Earth Institute at Columbia University

See also: NSF News Release

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

mail icon Get News Updates by Email 

Connect with us online
NSF website: nsf.gov
NSF News: nsf.gov/news
For News Media: nsf.gov/news/newsroom
Statistics: nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards database: nsf.gov/awardsearch/

Follow us on social
Twitter: twitter.com/NSF
Facebook: facebook.com/US.NSF
Instagram: instagram.com/nsfgov