Sea Level Rising
What is 2.6–3.6 millimeters per year?
Sea levels are rising at this rate each year due to climate change.
What is 79 degrees Fahrenheit?
The sea surface temperature must reach at least this for a tropical storm to form.
What is the ocean?
About 90% of excess heat from global warming is absorbed by this.
What is the jet stream?
Heating and cooling of the ocean can make this upper-atmosphere current more winding.
What is 1 degree Fahrenheit?
Over the last 120 years, North Carolina has warmed by about this amount.
What is flooding?
As the sea level rises, coastal cities face an increased risk of this.
What is convection?
This process happens when warm air rises and cool air sinks.
What are greenhouse gases?
These gases trap heat and warm the ocean.
What is extreme?
When the jet stream becomes more winding, the weather becomes more this.
What is 2 degrees Fahrenheit?
The Earth as a whole has warmed about this much over the same time period.
What is erosion?
This process gradually wears away land along the coast.
What is humidity?
Evaporation increases this in the atmosphere.
What is intense?
As ocean temperatures increase, hurricanes become more this.
What is extreme weather?
Severe ice storms and inland flooding are examples of this type of weather.
What is the ocean?
North Carolina’s coastal location helps slow warming because of the nearby body of water.
What is climate change?
Rising ocean temperatures contribute to this global issue, affecting land and towns.
What is a tropical depression?
A storm with winds of 38 mph is classified as this.
What are global climate patterns?
The ocean distributes absorbed heat across the Earth, influencing these.
What is the ocean surface?
Surface temperatures can heat or cool the atmosphere, and this.
What is heavier rainfall?
Warmer weather leads to denser clouds and this result.
What are polar ice caps?
Melting of these large frozen land masses contributes to rising sea levels.
What is a hurricane?
A storm becomes this when winds reach 74 mph.
What is carbon?
Wetlands and seagrass beds help reduce greenhouse gases by storing them.
What is flooding?
More winding jet streams can increase the likelihood of this inland disaster.
What is flood-resistant infrastructure?
To adapt to future climate impacts, North Carolina may need stronger building codes and this type of infrastructure.