Saturday, April 12, 2014

Sea Level Rise and Annual Rainfall

Sea Level Trend - source: colorado.edu
Global Annual Rainfall
source: www.goes-r.gov
Subtitle: Is Sea Level Rise Due to Rainfall

The two images at right show the trend in sea level (top image) and the areas of the oceans with the greatest rainfall (bottom image).  Curiously, the area where the seas are rising the most (red and pink areas) is the same area where the most rain falls.  This area is in the Pacific Ocean just to the east of the Philippines and New Guinea.

In contrast, the area in blue (sea level image) just to the west of North America and South America shows a declining trend in sea level.  That area also has a small amount of annual rainfall.  

There may be some valid, scientific explanation for this.  I have searched, briefly, for such but to no avail.  This is another example of climate scientists lumping together data from many points on the globe, taking an average, then producing an alarming pronouncement that doom is imminent.  Climate scientists have averaged the sea level trends, and concluded that the seas are rising at 3.2 mm/year.  This works out to about 1 foot per century. 

It is unclear to me how excessive rain over the ocean could lead to sea level rise over time, and a lack of rain leads to sea level decline.  The amount of rain in the red areas is 8 to 9 mm/day, which is 10 to 11 feet per year.  Questions that arise, to me, are Do the clouds that produce the rain interfere with the satellite sea level measurements?   For the sea level increases shown of 10 mm/y (3 feet per century), have the local islands actually experienced 6 feet of increased mean sea level over the past 200 years?   It seems that, if the seas actually rose so dramatically in that area, there would be plenty of evidence and newspaper documentation.  Yet, I can find none.

Is the sea actually rising?  Or, are scientists being deceptive?    

Roger E. Sowell, Esq. 
Marina del Rey, California


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