Sea levels around the Island are rising by an average of 2mm per year due to global climate change, according to the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), and that number is expected to increase.

“Decades of tidal gauge measurements, as well as satellite altimetry data monitoring global sea level since 1992, confirm that average sea level is on the rise due to climate change,” a BIOS spokeswoman said.

“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that global sea level rose by about 1.7mm per year in the 20th century, and expects sea level to rise at a greater rate during this century.

“Since tide gauge measurements began in Bermuda in 1932, sea level has increased by an average of 2.05mm per year.”

Professor Nicholas Bates, a BIOS Senior Scientist studying the impacts of climate change on the ocean, added that rising sea levels are just one element of how Bermuda could be impacted.

“In addition to the sea level rise observed in Bermuda, other long-term research conducted at BIOS also shows warming of ~0.6C in surface waters surrounding Bermuda over the past 50 years, as well as changes in the pH of seawater towards more acidic oceans due to the global impact of ocean acidification.”

A recent report by the IPCC predicted that average sea levels will rise between 26cm and 82cm by the end of the century as a result of global warming, and stated that man has been the dominant influence on climate change.