Charts: Sea levels drop along Alaska coast. Why?

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Juneau beach. Photo credit: Scott Spickler

According to data provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Juneau’s sea level is dropping fast, about 4.41 feet every 100 years. Those with property that touches the ocean along the coast are ending up with more land, as time passes.

Those who live in Juneau know this to be the case, and scientists have a name for it: Glacial rebound, when the earth’s solid surface rises after glaciers melt, bouncing back from the weight the ice had put on the land. This scientific name for this is “glacial isostatic adjustment” or “isostatic rebound.”

“The relative sea level trend is -13.43 millimeters/year with a 95% confidence interval of +/- 0.31 mm/yr based on monthly mean sea level data from 1936 to 2023, which is equivalent to a change of -4.41 feet in 100 years,” NOAA reports about the change seen in Juneau, where the measurements are taken near the Coast Guard station in the support area of downtown.

Here’s the Juneau water level chart provided by NOAA though 2023:

Screenshot

In Nikiski, on the Kenai Peninsula, the relative sea level trend is -10.45 millimeters/year with a 95% confidence interval of +/- 0.85 mm/yr based on monthly mean sea level data from 1973 to 2023, which is equivalent to a change of -3.43 feet in 100 years.

Here is the Nikiski water level chart:

In Kodiak, the chart is interrupted by the 1964 Alaska earthquake, but still shows the relative sea level trend is -9.65 millimeters/year with a 95% confidence interval of +/- 0.7 mm/yr based on monthly mean sea level data from 1964 to 2023, which is equivalent to a change of -3.17 feet in 100 years.

Not all parts of the Alaska coastline show such a dramatic change. Prudhoe Bay, for instance, shows an ever-so-slight increase in water level.

The ocean, like all water, will find low spots to fill in and the changes in river deltas also creates variable conditions, as explained by NOAA about the data in Westen Alaska.

The biggest impact is the retreat of the Little Ice Age, a period from the 13th to 19th centuries when glaciers advanced. During the time of 1300 to about 1850, glaciers covered up to one third of Alaska. Now, however, only about 5% of Alaska’s land is covered by glaciers. Juneau, sitting so close to the Juneau Icefield and Mendenhall Glacier, is experiencing routine flooding from dammed up water alongside the glacier, a condition that has developed as the glacier retreated.

“A negative trend does not mean the ocean surface is falling; It indicates the land is rising more quickly than the ocean in a particular area. Trends close to zero indicate the land is rising at nearly the same rate as the ocean,” NOAA says.

Ketchikan shows only a slight drop in sea level during the observation period. It may have experienced glacial rebound earlier than Juneau and earlier than monitored by scientific methods.

You can explore more locations and look at the charts provided by NOAA at these links:

9450460 Ketchikan, Alaska
9451600 Sitka, Alaska
9452210 Juneau, Alaska
9452400 Skagway, Alaska
9453220 Yakutat, Alaska
9454050 Cordova, Alaska
9454240 Valdez, Alaska
9455090 Seward, Alaska
9455500 Seldovia, Alaska
9455760 Nikiski, Alaska
9455920 Anchorage, Alaska
9457292 Kodiak Island, Alaska
9459450 Sand Point, Alaska
9461380 Adak Island, Alaska
9462620 Unalaska, Alaska
9463502 Port Moller, Alaska
9468756 Nome, Alaska
9497645 Prudhoe Bay, Alaska

54 COMMENTS

  1. How many minutes will pass before climate change deniers chime in, claiming this to be proof that ice cap melting and sea level rise isn’t happening? It can’t be long…

    • Were you watching your clock? Here I am……….
      If rising oceans (yet to be established anywhere) are *proof* of global warming, then a subsiding ocean is *proof* of global cooling.
      There you go, Puppy. Pick it up and run………..

    • Anyone familiar with atmospheric science knows, climate has always being changing…. constantly, since the beginning of climate itself. Accordingly, those believing climate should not be changing are truly the climate change deniers. As to mankind’s influence upon climate, it is not a matter of “climate change” but rather that of climate sensitivity to said influence. There are actually less than 50 people on earth truly qualified to understand this highly complex, multi-varied, issue. Among them are Professors Richard Linzen PhD MIT and Sungyeon Choi PhD Georgia Inst of Technology. Both of these experts used credible satellite data to prove climate change is not a dire urgency. While they acknowledge the matter of human influence must be monitored they analytically proved it is not the calamity politicized scientists and alarmists have made it out to be.

    • Dog your sea level rising just got flushed down the liar toilet.
      Good thing smart people didn’t buy into this farce.
      But you did.

    • I find it interesting that the loudest voices talking about rising sea levels all seem to buy multi-million dollar homes on the beach, inches above sea level.

  2. Can’t be long until a certain dog starts yapping bark! Bark!climate change!! Bark!! Deniers!! Barkbarkbsrk!

    • They buy estates at sea level with the billions scammed off the Green mandates and subsidies.

      Destroy the quality of life for working stiffs and taxpayers while mooching off the government subsidies.

      Follow the money, not the fake science.

  3. This “science” is a red herring from Satan trying to lure us from the Word of God. The Earth, this big, beautiful home given to us by God, is about 6000 years old, as shown clearly in the Holy Bible. Not enough time for all the ice ages and so forth to have come and gone. No, these are details God includes to test our faith. Like dinosaur bones. We have no proof dinosaurs ever lived, just bones intentionally put there to distract us from the Truth.

    I really hope President Trump will put an end to all of these “science” quests funded by the government that are designed explicitly to encourage people to stray from His Word and cast doubt on His power. Put the Bible back in our schools. Teach from the Bible.

  4. Wow, an article that appears to validate GLOBAL WARMING on a ‘this’ political website. Slippery slope. Next thing you know you’ll see articles confirming a firm belief in evolution, and extolling the virtues of human rights and the welfare state!

    Who left the door unlocked, last night!

    • And there it is confirmation of global warming. I didn’t expect that from you. Perhaps there is hope. Where are you on the polls shifting, which makes the crust and continental drift change as well, But the weather pattern remains the same, causing huge Earthquakes. Tsunami’s and pretty much the end of time?

      • Yes, the Earth has been warming since the last ice age. Is it normal and expected, and it correlates almost perfectly with sun activity. Claiming it has anything to do with human activity is the fraud. Claiming that taxes will stop it, or complex carbon storage systems that expend more carbon to create than they can possibly store will help is absolute BS.
        .
        I do not deny the climate is changing. In fact, it has been changing since the Earth coalesced into a lump of hot rock orbiting the Sun. It is the “climate scientists” like some folks on MRAK as well as Saint Greta, Leo the magnificient, and the biggest fraud of all, Al Gore that are in denial.

          • No, I did not say anything of the sort.
            Perhaps is was the flying object of yours. It is placing text on the screen where there is none.

              • I am already familiar with that.
                However… where are these glaciers melting? And, I am talking about in sufficient quantity to create that situation.
                .
                Take a look at some historical photos of the ice fields that feed the glaciers. Sure, glacier A seems to be receding a lot. But, the glaciers on the other side of the ice field are… what? Check it out. Funny how the ice field is advancing glaciers B, C, and D. But, no one ever looks at that. Nope. If they did, it would turn out their premise is incorrect.
                .
                The world is a system Greg. If you ignore the other parts of the system you will come to the wrong conclusion.
                .
                Like all too many people who only read the headlines often do.

              • Is this why the North East of the country is experiencing severe winters, much like they did in the late 70’s? It’s called mother earth, created by God. She works in cycles.

                • Yep.
                  It seems like severe winter weather hits the North East every 10 years or so. Not quite like clockwork, but close to it.

  5. Land is rising out of the ocean, oh my God, the global warming is a sneaky dude, am I still suppose to pretend we all gonna drown?
    Show must go on …

  6. Has anyone ever heard of evolution? Yeah, the creatures of this world adapt to their environment.
    This has happened all throughout time.
    We will survive this.
    No, this doesn’t mean we should give more money to parasitic politicians who use fear to control the masses.

  7. Yes Virginia there is climate change.
    Here’s 12 good reasons to believe. 😁
    It’s warm.
    It’s cold.
    It’s raining.
    It’s not raining.
    It’s windy.
    It’s not windy.
    It’s snowing,
    It’s not snowing.
    It’s summer.
    it’s fall.
    It’s winter.
    It’s spring.

  8. From what I’ve seen we’re about due for fiery sulphur raining from the skies. That will make the climate change.

  9. Maybe the fracture zones on the Pacific Rim are building up pressure with all of the faults creeping? Is the land on the Palmer Hay Flats rising up slowly? Seems like it is a bit drier out on the flats now. Is this all part of the subduction action?

    • Gin, the land is rising around Yellowstone because it sits on a mega cauldera. Looks like the lake is draining. It does this every times it gets ready to blow. Its past due. It will make krackato look like a popcorn fart. Hope that is not what’s going on up there.

      • So Greg is an expert climate scientist who knows about everything and his word is final.
        We are all doomed by climate change or nuclear attack or trump wow it’s scary out there without the democrats help.
        Glad you are such an expert on everything Greg.

        • Greg is a world reknowned expert in nothing. He even has a gold plaque to prove it. A good old jack of all trades expert in none.

  10. “Charts: Sea levels drop along Alaska coast. Why?” – Maybe the average weight of Alaskans has decreased. Also – “Alaska has had more people moving out than moving in for 10 years in a row. From July 2022 to July 2023, Alaska had a net outflow of 3,246 people.” Plus it’s raining less, except in Ketchikan.

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