Source found for missing water in sea-level rise

Nature News ^ | 20 May 2012 | Amanda Mascarelli

[neverdem]

Human use of water contributes markedly to rising tides.

Climate change, with its associated melting ice caps and shrinking glaciers, is the usual suspect when it comes to explaining rising sea levels. But a recent study now shows that human water use has a major impact on sea-level change that has been overlooked.

During the latter half of the twentieth century, global sea level rose by about 1.8 millimetres per year, according to data from tide gauges. The combined contribution from heating of the oceans, which makes the water expand, along with melting of ice caps and glaciers, is estimated to be 1.1 millimetres per year, which leaves some 0.7 millimetres per year unaccounted for. This gap has been considered an important missing piece of the puzzle in estimates for past and current sea-level changes and for projections of future rises.

It now seems that the effects of human water use on land could fill that gap. A team of researchers reports in Nature Geoscience that land-based water storage could account for 0.77 millimetres per year, or 42%, of the observed sea-level rise between 1961 and 2003. Of that amount, the extraction of groundwater for irrigation and home and industrial use, with subsequent run-off to rivers and eventually to the oceans, represents the bulk of the contribution.

Taikan Oki, a global hydrologist at the University of Tokyo and an author on the paper, says that he was initially “astonished” at how well the team’s estimates of terrestrial water usage filled the deficit between the observed sea-level rise and what was accounted for by thermal water expansion and melting ice. “I didn’t expect that terrestrial water storage had such a big impact on sea level,” says Oki. And, he adds, “I didn’t expect that human extraction of groundwater would matter so...”

[Lazamataz]

OMG

John Semmens, I had to check to see if this was YOUR work.

It's becoming sooo much harder to write satire, when the subjects satire themselves.

[smokingfrog]

Don’t everybody go pee at the same time! We might have an epic disaster on our hands!

[Myrddin]

No mention of the continuous deposition of material coming in from the sun. The earth continues to grow over time. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. Mass is conserved. If you see more, it is coming from outside the closed system you are measuring. There are huge balls of water ice hitting the planet all the time. The global warming goofs have their head in the sand...because they have an agenda.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Michael.SF.]

This strikes me as a bit odd and may not match much of what is going on in the world of water replenishment. There are numerous projects that I am aware of that are focused on ground water replenishment as well as the use of ‘barrier’ pumps: Injecting recycled water into areas close to the sea to prevent sea water intrusion.

If the sea water is creeping into the water table, that would result in a decrease in the ocean level, not an increase.

Recycled water is also becoming increasingly injected into the water table so as to raise the water table and thus serve to replenish water taken out at wells.

[Graybeard58]

I’m not sure I understand you. Are we getting new water from outside our atmosphere? I was under the impression that the supply was pretty much static with it moving around from place to place, neither gaining nor losing any.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about it.

[piytar]

No doubt. I’ve realy read such scientifically ignorant cr@p even from the most ardent AGW whoreshippers...

[JRandomFreeper]

Are we getting new water from outside our atmosphere?

NASA says about 100 tons of material hits the earth every day. Good thing the earth is so big.

Some of that will be water, probably not a lot.

I don't have a number for how much material is stripped off the atmosphere by the solar wind, but I'm sure someone will 'splain it to this cook.

/johnny

[Ron C.]

What a crock. There ain’t no missing water.

[piytar]

realy = rarely...

[Carthego delenda est]

Dude, there are @756 trillion zeptolitres missing.

[jonrick46]

Maybe more sediment from the rivers is empting into the ocean, causing sea level rise. Is not that why the ocean is salt water?

[Boiling point]

UN-FRICKIN-BELIEVABLE! Every molecule of water the earth started with is still here but for that the Astronauts took to space. Adam and Eve’s pee is still being recycled.

[Dogbert41]

Maybe it’s all the water inside 7 billion people?

[No One Special]

How did they control for the possibility that the number of fishies in the sea is growing?

[tiki]

IOW, “I’m an environmentalist and the world would be so much better if at least half of you died.”

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks neverdem.

The combined contribution from heating of the oceans, which makes the water expand, along with melting of ice caps and glaciers, is estimated to be 1.1 millimetres per year, which leaves some 0.7 millimetres per year unaccounted for.

Remember, there are people dumb enough to believe they're buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

[TigersEye]

During the latter half of the twentieth century, global sea level rose by about 1.8 millimetres per year, according to data from tide gauges. The combined contribution from heating of the oceans, which makes the water expand, along with melting of ice caps and glaciers, is estimated to be 1.1 millimetres per year, which leaves some 0.7 millimetres per year unaccounted for. This gap has been considered an important missing piece of the puzzle in estimates for past and current sea-level changes and for projections of future rises.

That is puzzling. That's a far lower rate of rise than the average over the last 18,000 years. It's puzzling that they're looking for an explanation for an increase when their figures for the last half century's rise has been 7-10 times less than that.

Claim That Sea Level Is Rising Is a Total Fraud

Sea levels began to rise 18k years ago at the end of the last glacial period. They have risen about 135 meters since then which is an average of 7.5 millimeters per year. That is an average of 750 mm per century (29.5 inches) which is far more than the average over the last century.

From 1880 to 2000 sea level rose about 20 cm or just under 8 inches. Far far less than the nearly 30 inches per century average over the last 18,000 years.

[dalereed]

“Are we getting new water from outside our atmosphere?”

Snow balls from hell!!!

By the way, congratulations on gaining adoption of your grandkids.

Starting over late in life is tough but i’m sure you will give them a solid footing to be successful in life.