Source found for missing water in sea-level rise

Nature News ^ | 20 May 2012 | Amanda Mascarelli

[neverdem]

Human use of water contributes markedly to rising tides.

Climate change, with its associated melting ice caps and shrinking glaciers, is the usual suspect when it comes to explaining rising sea levels. But a recent study now shows that human water use has a major impact on sea-level change that has been overlooked.

During the latter half of the twentieth century, global sea level rose by about 1.8 millimetres per year, according to data from tide gauges. The combined contribution from heating of the oceans, which makes the water expand, along with melting of ice caps and glaciers, is estimated to be 1.1 millimetres per year, which leaves some 0.7 millimetres per year unaccounted for. This gap has been considered an important missing piece of the puzzle in estimates for past and current sea-level changes and for projections of future rises.

It now seems that the effects of human water use on land could fill that gap. A team of researchers reports in Nature Geoscience that land-based water storage could account for 0.77 millimetres per year, or 42%, of the observed sea-level rise between 1961 and 2003. Of that amount, the extraction of groundwater for irrigation and home and industrial use, with subsequent run-off to rivers and eventually to the oceans, represents the bulk of the contribution.

Taikan Oki, a global hydrologist at the University of Tokyo and an author on the paper, says that he was initially “astonished” at how well the team’s estimates of terrestrial water usage filled the deficit between the observed sea-level rise and what was accounted for by thermal water expansion and melting ice. “I didn’t expect that terrestrial water storage had such a big impact on sea level,” says Oki. And, he adds, “I didn’t expect that human extraction of groundwater would matter so...”

[Lazamataz]

OMG

John Semmens, I had to check to see if this was YOUR work.

It's becoming sooo much harder to write satire, when the subjects satire themselves.

[smokingfrog]

Don’t everybody go pee at the same time! We might have an epic disaster on our hands!

[Myrddin]

No mention of the continuous deposition of material coming in from the sun. The earth continues to grow over time. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. Mass is conserved. If you see more, it is coming from outside the closed system you are measuring. There are huge balls of water ice hitting the planet all the time. The global warming goofs have their head in the sand...because they have an agenda.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Michael.SF.]

This strikes me as a bit odd and may not match much of what is going on in the world of water replenishment. There are numerous projects that I am aware of that are focused on ground water replenishment as well as the use of ‘barrier’ pumps: Injecting recycled water into areas close to the sea to prevent sea water intrusion.

If the sea water is creeping into the water table, that would result in a decrease in the ocean level, not an increase.

Recycled water is also becoming increasingly injected into the water table so as to raise the water table and thus serve to replenish water taken out at wells.

[Graybeard58]

I’m not sure I understand you. Are we getting new water from outside our atmosphere? I was under the impression that the supply was pretty much static with it moving around from place to place, neither gaining nor losing any.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about it.

[piytar]

No doubt. I’ve realy read such scientifically ignorant cr@p even from the most ardent AGW whoreshippers...

[JRandomFreeper]

Are we getting new water from outside our atmosphere?

NASA says about 100 tons of material hits the earth every day. Good thing the earth is so big.

Some of that will be water, probably not a lot.

I don't have a number for how much material is stripped off the atmosphere by the solar wind, but I'm sure someone will 'splain it to this cook.

/johnny

[Ron C.]

What a crock. There ain’t no missing water.

[piytar]

realy = rarely...

[Carthego delenda est]

Dude, there are @756 trillion zeptolitres missing.

[jonrick46]

Maybe more sediment from the rivers is empting into the ocean, causing sea level rise. Is not that why the ocean is salt water?

[Boiling point]

UN-FRICKIN-BELIEVABLE! Every molecule of water the earth started with is still here but for that the Astronauts took to space. Adam and Eve’s pee is still being recycled.

[Dogbert41]

Maybe it’s all the water inside 7 billion people?

[No One Special]

How did they control for the possibility that the number of fishies in the sea is growing?

[tiki]

IOW, “I’m an environmentalist and the world would be so much better if at least half of you died.”

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks neverdem.

The combined contribution from heating of the oceans, which makes the water expand, along with melting of ice caps and glaciers, is estimated to be 1.1 millimetres per year, which leaves some 0.7 millimetres per year unaccounted for.

Remember, there are people dumb enough to believe they're buying the Brooklyn Bridge.

[TigersEye]

During the latter half of the twentieth century, global sea level rose by about 1.8 millimetres per year, according to data from tide gauges. The combined contribution from heating of the oceans, which makes the water expand, along with melting of ice caps and glaciers, is estimated to be 1.1 millimetres per year, which leaves some 0.7 millimetres per year unaccounted for. This gap has been considered an important missing piece of the puzzle in estimates for past and current sea-level changes and for projections of future rises.

That is puzzling. That's a far lower rate of rise than the average over the last 18,000 years. It's puzzling that they're looking for an explanation for an increase when their figures for the last half century's rise has been 7-10 times less than that.

Claim That Sea Level Is Rising Is a Total Fraud

Sea levels began to rise 18k years ago at the end of the last glacial period. They have risen about 135 meters since then which is an average of 7.5 millimeters per year. That is an average of 750 mm per century (29.5 inches) which is far more than the average over the last century.

From 1880 to 2000 sea level rose about 20 cm or just under 8 inches. Far far less than the nearly 30 inches per century average over the last 18,000 years.

[dalereed]

“Are we getting new water from outside our atmosphere?”

Snow balls from hell!!!

By the way, congratulations on gaining adoption of your grandkids.

Starting over late in life is tough but i’m sure you will give them a solid footing to be successful in life.

[Still Thinking]

[eyeroll] I bet they didn’t allow for inland locations that deal with wastewater by treating it and returning it to the aquifer. Idiots.

[Still Thinking]

Dude, there are @756 trillion zeptolitres missing.

I was thirsty! Do ya mind?

[Migraine]

sea level rose by about 1.8 millimetres per year, according to data from tide gauges

Data from tide gauges are inadequate. They are referenced to the land itself. It cannot be established reasonably that the land has not risen or fallen with respect to sea level. The only reliable sea level indicator is taken from the viewpoint of a satellite. During one decade between the 80s and 90s, these satellite-based measurements showed a 10-year rise of 3 mm (±7mm). How ludicrous is that? And how stupid to get worked up over it.

[Cementjungle]

Maybe it’s all the cruise ships displacing water, or people swimming in the oceans, or more whales, etc.

[Still Thinking]

Data from tide gauges are inadequate. They are referenced to the land itself. It cannot be established reasonably that the land has not risen or fallen with respect to sea level. The only reliable sea level indicator is taken from the viewpoint of a satellite. During one decade between the 80s and 90s, these satellite-based measurements showed a 10-year rise of 3 mm (±7mm). How ludicrous is that? And how stupid to get worked up over it.

Even then, is it actually possible to take measurements from miles up in space and know that the baseline or reference altitude is stable enough to trust millimeter-scale measurements either?

[Wingy]

Well, it rained last night. That water went down to the river next to the tidal gauge. That was up three inches today. Are we all gonna die now?

For the folks from Rio Linda....\s

[Smokin' Joe]

Biomass! When it is warm more critters and trees grow, and that takes water.

[woofie]

The bottled water people are producing a fair amount of new water

[woofie]

And I forgot to mention Iced Tea

[Iron Munro]

Yes - the world has never been the same since Al Gore's 67 meter rise in sea levels
inundated Greenland, Manhattan, Florida and Vanuatu.

[Born to Conserve]

Most subsidence is caused by settling and decomposition of sediment. Under natural circumstances these losses were replaced by continuing deposition. Build a city on a delta, and you will get New Orleans.

[Prospero]

The water cycle seems to be an alien concept to these people. So, I suppose the "missing water" that "should be" flooding Tuvalu, etc. is locked up in the human biomass?

Anyone want to hazard a back of the envelope guesstimate as to how many acre-feet, or hectares, or gallons might be stored on "dry land" in seven billion people?

Someone's not taking their fluid pills!

[KoRn]

"Anyone want to hazard a back of the envelope guesstimate as to how many acre-feet, or hectares, or gallons might be stored on "dry land" in seven billion people?"

If it were all dumped into the ocean, it would probably be like pouring a bucket of water into a swimming pool. If every human on Earth were to be tossed into the ocean, I doubt it would make much difference in the water levels.

[21twelve]

The headline is very confusing with regard to the article. They added up what they thought were sources for MORE water in the oceans, but those sources (heat expansion and melting ice) did not account for all of the INCREASE of water in the oceans. So where did this EXTRA water in the ocean come from? (So the source was unknown - or “missing”)

It would seem to make sense that groundwater “locked” in the soils for hundreds of thousands of years that is pumped to the surface, used to irrigate our fields and sustain life, and then once used either goes back into the soils, evaporates, or is flushed down the drain into the rivers and oceans will, obviously, have an impact of an increase in ocean water levels.

Development of the world into a livable and useful place often includes homes and buildings, paved driveways and roads, airports, and all sorts of other useful facilities that prevents the rain water from entering the soil, so more rain water is runoff. Finding it’s way to the nearest catch basin, culvert, creek, river and ocean.

Amazing to me that such an obvious conclusion is such a big deal to them. I wonder what other HUGE SURPRISES those that do the Global Warming modelling don’t realize to put in?

“Hey Earl - I’m wondering if we should leave a line of code open and maybe put something in there about the sun or something?”

[count-your-change]

Seven tenths of millimeter? sea level measured to an accuracy of 7/10 mm.? Right. Sure. Maybe it’s all the ship’s displacing water.

[al_c]

We’re all gonna die!!!!!!

Stop using water if you want to live, people!

Oh ... we need water?

We’re all gonna die!!!!!!!

[exDemMom]

I dunno, I’m just having a hard time accepting that 1.7 mm is outside of the margin of error for both the magnitude of the measurement (isn’t the ocean several kilometers deep?) and the method used (can satellites from space really measure to millimeter accuracies?). It’s kind of like using a scale calibrated to kilograms to weigh out microgram quantities, IMHO. And how do those measurements account for the constant movement of the ocean? Tides surely have *some* effect on ocean depth.

[BilLies]

And they make fun of those medieval philosophers who supposedly tried to count the number of angels that would fit on the head of pin.
How big is a pinhead?.... The head of a pin is about 2mm in diameter.

[Lockbox]

Look, this is easy. More people drinking the water equals less water in the oceans. The oceans level goes down But more people with more water equals more weight on the land. So this additional weight pushes down on the land which is floating on the oceans and displaces more water so the ocean level rises. Net effect is no gain or loss. /S

[BilLies]

And they make fun of those medieval philosophers who supposedly tried to count the number of angels that would fit on the head of pin.
How big is a pinhead?.... The head of a pin is about 2mm in diameter.

[trebb]

If the sea water is creeping into the water table, that would result in a decrease in the ocean level, not an increase. Recycled water is also becoming increasingly injected into the water table so as to raise the water table and thus serve to replenish water taken out at wells.

I doubt there is enough water being locked up or freed by any projects to make a discernable distance. As far as sea water encroaching into land systems and causing a change - water seeks it's own level...

[norwaypinesavage]

"How big is a pinhead?.... The head of a pin is about 2mm in diameter."

Algore is much much bigger than that

[PeterPrinciple]

Even then, is it actually possible to take measurements from miles up in space and know that the baseline or reference altitude is stable enough to trust millimeter-scale measurements either?

---

It is possible if you make enough assumptions in your model. Remember the model airplanes as a kid, they weren't REAL.

[PeterPrinciple]

Even then, is it actually possible to take measurements from miles up in space and know that the baseline or reference altitude is stable enough to trust millimeter-scale measurements either?

---

It is possible if you make enough assumptions in your model. Remember the model airplanes as a kid, they weren't REAL.

[wbill]

First of all - let's just assume that a 1.8mm rise in the oceans, globally, is measurable. I don't believe it. But, let's just assume that.

That's less than an inch per decade. Or, about 8 inches per century.

I think we can adapt.

Whatta bunch of hysteria.

[CodeToad]

No one can possibly measure 1.8 millimeters of ocean difference. These liberals are simply making up numbers.

[JimRed]

Such total BS! 99.999% of human water usage goes right back into the hydrologic cycle in a matter of hours, and the rest in days. The result is no less water, and no more water; just a matter of distribution.

[Resettozero]

I don’t waste my money on that. I just mix 2 parts hydrogen with 1 part oxygen and make my own.

[Migraine]

Even then, is it actually possible to take measurements from miles up in space and know that the baseline or reference altitude is stable enough to trust millimeter-scale measurements either?

You are correct. There is a margin of error, allowing for atmospheric distortion of telemetry -- hence the "±7" disclaimer. When you have an increase of +3 and a margin of error higher than 3, the statistic is at worst misleading, at best useless, and in effect a wash. Time for a healthy grain of salt.