If Sea Level Was Rising, Wouldn’t Someone Have Noticed?

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“If Sea Level Was Rising, Wouldn’t Someone Have Noticed?” Anthony Watts gives us a post by Steven Goddard, who asks a stupid question and provides a stupid answer.

Short smart answer: the scientists noticed. They’re the ones who measure things.

Somehow alleged-geologist Steven thinks that cherry-picked historical photos from the California coast, a region with notable geological faulting and oil extraction, are conclusive proof that the sea-level has not risen. Also, apparently tides don’t exist. Nor do any other causes of subsidence or uplift.

This is typical of Steven’s posts; a tiny actual fact turned 180°, taken out of context and then used to draw support unwarranted conclusions.

3 thoughts on “If Sea Level Was Rising, Wouldn’t Someone Have Noticed?”

  1. Wisdom of Solomon, that one: there are some complications with tide gauges, so obviously the only exact record is WUWT readers. (Is it just me, or do a large proportion of them seem to be convinced that Earth is currently cooling?)

    Reply ↓

  2. Let me count the ways…

    1. Only WUWT would set up an over-lay comparison of two photos for which the tidal stages are unknown.
    2. He speaks of a 130 year period of sea level rise. The real increase in global temperature started in the late 1970’s. The more formal signs of AGW (whatever they are) were first recognized about 20 years ago.
    3. The post IPCC AR4 forecasts are roughly a meter or more of sea level rise by 2100. That’s many years, at increasing temperatures, away. Only a denier would suggest that the sea level rise should be readily visible now. Also, these forecasts do not include dynamical movement of the ice sheets.
    4. We don’t even know that the natural sand level hasn’t changed. Since we can assume that at such a popular beach (in an affluent area) any sand that is washed away would be replaced.
    5. “At current melt rates,” Of course this phrase is misleading, since melt rates would increase with increasing temperatures.
    6. “it would take 300,000 years for Antarctica to melt.” Of course this scenario is irrelevant. Al Gore’s 20 foot of sea level rise would be sufficiently catastrophic, in just thousands of years.
    Reply ↓

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