WORK IN PROGRESS

Still to do:

• an introduction to the page
• add/clarify definitions
• all of the geologic past section
• what a tide gauge does, what monthly means are, what annual means are
• all of the satellite section
• all of the 21 C. section
• how isostatic and eustatic play out in NJ in the 21 C.
• further information section

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This is a

Definitions

Mean Sea-Level—At a tide gauge, MSL is the average of all of the water level measurements that are made at the top of each hour during a year.

Eustatic—refers to the change in sea-level caused by changes in the amount of water in the ocean basins

Isostatic—refers to the change in sea-level at a place caused by vertical movement of the land itself; e.g. from earthquake fautling, subsidence, etc.

Relative SLR—the change in MSL caused by the interaction of eustatic and isostatic forces. At the N.J. Shore the land is sinking, and globally the sea is rising. Relative SLR combines both effects.

SLR in the geologic past

Relative SLR in the tide gauge era

A tide gauge measures water level. The measurements can be used to calculate the change in sea-level at one place. The change in sea-level that is calculated from tide gauges includes both the eustatic and isostatic contribution.

Location	From	ft/century (all data through 1999)	mm/year (all data through 1999)	mm/year (all data through 2006)
NYC, The Battery	1856	0.91	2.77	2.77
Sandy Hook	1932	1.27	3.88	3.90
Atlantic City	1911	1.31	3.98	3.99
Cape May	Dec. 1965	1.27	3.88	4.06
Philadelphia	Jul. 1900	0.90	2.75	2.79

Annual trends based on monthly means

The three N.J. stations are located in the coastal plain, not on bedrock geology like the gauges in Philadelphia and New York. These three stations are running a relative sea-level change of 4 mm/year. A rate of 4 mm/year is about equal to an inch every six years, and approximately 16 inches/century.

References

• NOAA/NOS Sea-level trends
• Linear MSL trends
• Local Trends
  • NYC The Battery
  • Sandy Hook
  • Atlantic City
  • Cape May
  • Philadelphia

Rates of SLR in the sea surface sensing satellite era

Rates of SLR for 21st century

NOTES

1. This web site has general information for the purposes of sea-level rise planning, data on specific species should be verified or confirmed before being used for other than general planning purposes.

Further information

NJDEP

Fish Game & Wildlife is the part of DEP that regulates and manages wildlife.