Sea levels continue to rise around the globe, including in Florida | Fact check

Isabella Fertel, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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The claim: Sea levels haven't risen in centuries, proving climate change is a hoax

An April 20 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) features an image of a Florida man in a convertible with the ocean in the background.

“Great view of the sea levels that haven’t risen in centuries!” reads the caption of the post. “Climate change is a HOAX.”

The post garnered more than 100 likes in two weeks.

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Our rating: False

Sea levels have been rising in Southeastern Florida and around the world for more than a century, according to long-term tide gauge data. Researchers say the rate of sea level rise near Palm Beach, where the picture was taken, is rapidly rising and will continue to do so. Scientists have found unequivocal evidence human activity is causing the Earth to warm at an unprecedented rate, accelerating sea level rise.

Sea levels rising in Florida and around the world

The post indicates the photo was taken in Palm Beach, Florida, but does not specify whether it is referencing global or local sea levels.

In either case, sea levels have been rising for decades.

On average, global sea levels have risen by about 6 to 8 inches over the past century, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That rate of sea level rise continues to increase and has more than doubled since 2006.

While there is no long-term tide gauge data for Palm Beach, data from nearby Virginia Key – located about 70 miles south – shows sea levels there have risen more than a foot in the past century, said Jianjun Yin, a professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona who recently published a study on sea level rise along the U.S. East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

“It is clear that sea level has been rising during 1932-2022, and the rise rate has accelerated since 2010,” Yin said in an email.

Thomas Wahl, a coastal engineer at the University of Central Florida who co-authored a separate study on sea level rise along the Southeastern U.S. and Gulf of Mexico coasts, noted similar trends in sea level acceleration in other parts of Florida like Fernandina Beach and Key West.

Both studies found the rate of average sea level rise along the Southeastern U.S. and Gulf Coasts has increased to a current rate of over .4 inches per year since 2010 – much higher than other parts of the U.S. and the global average.

Sea levels along the southeastern and Gulf Coasts are rising faster than climate models predicted, Wahl noted. This rise has already begun to impact Florida, he said, causing coastal erosion, high-tide flooding, saltwater contamination of freshwater aquifers and higher storm surges.

The accelerated sea level rise has “coincided with active and even record-breaking North Atlantic hurricane seasons in recent years,” Yin wrote in his study. “As a consequence, the elevated storm surge exacerbated coastal flooding and damages, particularly on the Gulf Coast.”

Fact check: Scientific consensus says humans are dominant cause of climate change

Global warming is causing sea levels to rise at an unprecedented rate, according to NASA. Rising global temperatures contribute to sea level rise in two key ways: melting glaciers and ice sheets add water to the oceans, and seawater expands as the oceans warm.

Scientists have discovered ample, irrefutable evidence that climate change is real and driven by the emission of greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the atmosphere, from human activity.

USA TODAY has previously debunked several posts attempting to cast doubt on global sea level rise using images of landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Sydney Harbor.

USA TODAY reached out to the Instagram user who shared the post, who did not respond to a request for comment.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim sea levels haven't risen in centuries | Fact check