Study: Sudden sea level surges threaten 1 billion

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) — More than 1 billion people live in low-lying areas where a sudden surge in sea level could prove as disastrous as the 2004 Asian tsunami, according to new research presented on Thursday.

…A rise of just 16 feet would affect 669 million people and 2 million square miles of land would be lost.

Sea levels are currently rising about 0.04 to 0.08 inches each year, making it unlikely such a scenario would suddenly occur across the globe, Usery said.

But he said 10,000 years ago sea levels rose 20 meters in 500 years — a relatively short span — after the collapse of the continental ice sheets.

Reuters