Sea levels continue to rise around the globe, including in Florida

"local sea levels"

Sea levels continue to rise around the globe, including in Florida | Fact check


The claim: Sea levels haven't risen in centuries, proving climate change is a hoax

An April 20 Instagram post (direct link, archived link) features an image of a Florida man in a convertible with the ocean in the background.

“Great view of the sea levels that haven’t risen in centuries!” reads the caption of the post. “Climate change is a HOAX.”


The post garnered more than 100 likes in two weeks.

Our rating: False
Sea levels have been rising in Southeastern Florida and around the world for more than a century, according to long-term tide gauge data. Researchers say the rate of sea level rise near Palm Beach, where the picture was taken, is rapidly rising and will continue to do so. Scientists have found unequivocal evidence human activity is causing the Earth to warm at an unprecedented rate, accelerating sea level rise.

Sea levels rising in Florida and around the world
The post indicates the photo was taken in Palm Beach, Florida, but does not specify whether it is referencing global or local sea levels.

In either case, sea levels have been rising for decades.

On average, global sea levels have risen by about 6 to 8 inches over the past century, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That rate of sea level rise continues to increase and has more than doubled since 2006.

While there is no long-term tide gauge data for Palm Beach, data from nearby Virginia Key – located about 70 miles south – shows sea levels there have risen more than a foot in the past century, said Jianjun Yin, a professor of geosciences at the University of Arizona who recently published a study on sea level rise along the U.S. East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

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