Sea Level Rise - How does global warming cause sea level rise?
T o recap, global warming is caused by the action of greenhouse gases refusing exit to outward bound infra-red radiation. In other words, these gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydro fluorocarbons, per fluorocarbons, sulphur hexafluoride and nitrogen trifluoride) being concentrated in the lower atmosphere trap solar energy being reflected back to space. This heat, being retained, results in the warming of the atmosphere. N ow, oceans are the lifeblood of the Earth. These big masses of water covering most of the Earth regulate a lot of things, including absorbing gases. They also absorb most of the excess heat on Earth. Rising temperatures as a result of the action of excess amounts of ghgs [1] thereby also affects the seas. N ow, by its nature ocean water is stratified into layers, determined by density and temperature. Because oceans are very deep, they take time to fully react to external forcing mechanisms. For example the waters of the deep are still laggi...