Martin Wright
Editor
Shropshire Star
Dear Sir
Chris Smith persists in wasting people’s time with his questions when the answers are readily available with a simple internet search. He asks ‘Can Robert Saunders explain why sea levels are both rising and falling around the world, there is no consistent rise globally in all areas?’ (‘We’re between two ice ages’, 7 May 2022) He even appears to know the answer anyway.
NASA advises that: “Earth’s global sea levels are rising – and are doing so at an accelerating rate. Waters in the ocean are expanding as they absorb massive amounts of heat trapped by greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere. Glaciers and ice sheets are adding hundreds of gigatons of meltwater into the oceans each year. The land surface along the coasts is also creeping up and down, affecting relative sea level rise.”
So, as per my previous letter ‘thoughts that come to mind are slowly rising land and coastal deposition (hence beaches)’ which NASA confirms.
Despite Chris’ apparent knowledge of NASA, he ignores their evidence from satellites showing that the Global Mean Seal Level from 1993 to 2020 has been rising about 3.3 millimetres per year. The number is calculated by averaging sea surface height data from a series of satellites. NASA also use airborne missions, shipboard measurements, and supercomputers, and has been investigating sea level rise for decades. With its international and interagency partners, it is monitoring the causes of sea level rise with high accuracy and precision.
As regards Chris’ assertion that ‘the MMCC zealots choose the figures that suit them’ I would suggest that Chris is an excellent example of ignoring clear scientific evidence and seeking to mislead Star readers. He appears to be denying the physical reality that warming water expands and that land-based glaciers and ice sheets melt water adds to the quantity in the sea, hence rising global sea levels.
Yours sincerely
Robert Saunders
23 Saxon Court
Apley
Telford
TF1 6YN
01952 253705
07976 697931