Climate Panel Says Sea Level Set to Rise Faster on Florida's Tampa Bay

TAMPA (WFLA News) -- A panel that advises Tampa Bay area governments on climate issues is accelerating its forecast for sea level rise.

Maya Burke with The Tampa Bay Climate Science Advisory Panel says we can expect sea levels to rise between two and eight and a half feet by 2100... that's a foot to a foot and a half higher than their original forecast four years ago. The panel makes recommendations to local agencies, on what to expect from climate change and what to do about it.

Burke says they're upping their predictions because heat-trapping gases are continuing to enter the atmosphere, and because they have better ways of measuring sea surfaces using satellites. Those measurements, she says, confirm projections of accelerating sea level rise.

The panel makes recommendations to regional government planners, based on the model of the Climate Compact in South Florida.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Listen to an interview with Maya Burke:


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