9.4 increase in greenhouse gases

Why sea level is rising

1) thermal expansion

-water molecule move slightly further apart when they’re heated

-all the water molecules of ocean moving slightly apart → sea level rising

2) melting polar & glacial ice

-increased greenhouse gases lead to a warmer climate & more melting of ice sheets

-water flows into ocean & leads to sea level rise

Environmental impacts of sea level rise

-flooding coastal ecosystems like estuaries

-lose of species

-loss of thaw-freeze cycle that glaciers go through

Human impacts

Relocation of coastal human population

-increase flood frequency

-saltwater intrusion

-refugees

Disease vectors

Living organisms that can transmit disease from human to human or animal to human (ex: malaria, Zika, west Nile)

-warmer temperatures allow insect-transmitted disease to spread to parts of the world

-as insect vectors expand their range further from equators, toward poles, new human pop → risk