Sea levels to rise 10 to 12 inches by 2050, rate 'alarming': report

Sea levels along U.S. coastlines will rise between 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) on average above the current levels by 2050, according to a new interagency report published on Tuesday.

Coastal flooding will increase significantly over the next 30 years because of sea level rise, according to the report by an interagency sea level rise task force that includes NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other federal agencies.

The rise in ocean height in the next 30 years could equal the total rise seen over the past 100 years, the report projects.

The task force developed their near-term sea level rise projections by drawing on an improved understanding of how the processes that contribute to rising seas - such as melting glaciers and ice sheets as well as complex interactions between ocean, land, and ice - will affect ocean height.

"This report supports previous studies and confirms what we have long known: Sea levels are continuing to rise at an alarming rate, endangering communities around the world," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Science is indisputable, and urgent action is required to mitigate a climate crisis that is well underway, he said.