For a few years now, a slight acceleration in sea level rise has been observed, much to the concern of water managers and politicians. It is therefore important that the measurement series can be continued with the new satellite.
“Only then can you clearly see how much acceleration in sea-level rise is taking place,” says Bart van den Hurk, professor of climate science at the VU University in Amsterdam and researcher at Deltares. For years, the sea level rise was about 2 millimeters per year, but it has now risen to an average of 4 mm.
“The big question is whether this rise will remain modest this century, or will increase sharply. In any case, it is no longer about how many centimeters the sea will eventually rise, but by how many meters.”
No accelerated rise in the North Sea level yet
Incidentally, this acceleration is not observed off the coast of the North Sea, says Marjolijn Haasnoot of Utrecht University, who also works at Deltares. She was commissioned by the Delta Commissioner to carry out a study into sea level rise in the future and its significance for the Netherlands.
In this animation you can see how Sentinel-6 will work:
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