This is revised from a comment NewMexiKen made last night.
Sea level has already been rising. According to NASA (and many other sources):
Twentieth century sea level trends, however, are substantially higher that those of the last few thousand years. The current phase of accelerated sea level rise appears to have begun in the mid/late 19th century to early 20th century, based on coastal sediments from a number of localities. Twentieth century global sea level, as determined from tide gauges in coastal harbors, has been increasing by 1.7-1.8 mm/yr, apparently related to the recent climatic warming trend. Most of this rise comes from warming of the world’s oceans and melting of mountain glaciers, which have receded dramatically in many places especially during the last few decades. Since 1993, an even higher sea level trend of about 2.8 mm/yr has been measured from the TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite altimeter. Analysis of longer tide-gauge records (1870-2004) also suggests a possible late 20th century acceleration in global sea level.
Here’s an experiment you can do at home. Fill a glass with water to the brim. Pretend the brim is Miami or Santa Monica or Bangladesh. Fill another glass with ice and set it out at room temperature. Pretend the ice is glaciers. As the ice melts, pour the contents of that glass into the glass filled with water. Have paper towel handy.
When glaciers melt, and particularly if the Greenland and Antarctica ice caps melt, the sea will rise. The meltwater has to go somewhere. It will go into the oceans and the oceans will rise.
Scientists only debate how much the glaciers will melt and how soon, not if.
“… suggests a possible late 20th century acceleration in global sea level.”
“… suggests a possible …” !!
I think I’ll wait till the evidence is more definite in time and space.
You left out the key word — “also.” You find “suggests” used in talking about a secondary measuring tool (“also”) and use it in an attempt to discredit the primary measuring tool.
There is no other equivocation in the quotation.
The ice is melting. The evidence is indisputable. It’s in measurements, it’s in photographs, it’s in ice core samples; it can be seen by the human eye. The ice is melting.
When ice on land melts, the water must go into the sea. The debate is only over how fast and for how long.
I am not arguing the cause. I am not arguing the solution. But the ice is melting. The sea is rising.
1.7 to 1.8 mm/yr is about 1/16 inch/yr. At that rate the sea level will rise one inch in 16 years or one foot rise in 192 years.
Even at 2.8 mm/yr it will take about ten years to rise one inch and 120 years to rise one foot.
We’ve got plenty of time to put out a valid temperature measuring system over the whole world.
Jerry Pournelle writes about this (and many other things) at his site http://www.jerrypournelle.com/
This page is a good start. http://www.jerrypournelle.com/archives2/archives2mail/mail469.html#energy
Wikipedia: “Jerry Eugene Pournelle (born August 7, 1933) is an American science fiction writer ….”
Yeah, Jerry has two PhDs and numerous other advanced degrees in engineering, psychology, statistics and political science. He worked at Boeing and Rockwell before getting into writing.
He’s retired now and currently being treated for a brain tumor.
He’s an amazing guy. Well worth reading. I agree with him on many things. I disagree with him re. his views on IQ.