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Rising Sea Levels in the United States within the Last Five years A sea level rise refers to the upsurge in mean sea level due to an increase in the volume of water in the ocean. Over the past two decades, sea level has been rising at an unprecedented rate, approximately 3.4 mm per year (Kluver, 2017). The sea level continues to increase at this rate because of seawater warming and the melting of land-based ice, such as ice sheets and glaciers. Higher sea levels can lead to destructive and destructive storms, which further lead to flooding in the cities adjacent to the shore. With these effects, rising of sea levels require a considerable attention because it is a dangerous occurrence. While the issue of higher sea levels is evident across the globe, it has largely been noticeable in the United States for the last five years. Almost 40 percent Americans live in relatively high-population-density coastal regions, where sea level contributes to shoreline erosion, flooding and threats from storms (Nováčková and Tol, 2017). In fact, over the last decade, the cases of flooding within U.S. coastal areas has increased up to 900 percent, resulting in the disastrous destruction of properties and lives. That said, this paper aims to present an argument regarding the rise of sea levels in the United States within the last five years. First of all, it is essential to look at the reasons behind the higher sea levels, then examine the recent significant cases of sea levels in the United States, and the effects of sea level rise. According to scientists, the rising of sea levels is primarily caused by the changes in climate, which are triggered by human activities. Cazenave (2012) assert that sea levels began to rise in the late 1800s after humans started burning gas, coal and other fossil fuels to generate energy. After these resources are burned, they lead to the production of carbon dioxide, which is absorbed into the atmosphere. As a result, the excessive carbon dioxide damages the ozone layer that absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation reaching the earth from the sun, leading to extreme warming of the atmosphere and the planet. The life-threatening heat from the sun results in two major incidents that cause rising of sea level. First, the warm temperature makes the land-based ice to melt, and the meltwater flows into the ocean, increasing the water volume and global sea level. In fact, melting ice has cause nearly two-thirds of the rise in sea level to date, one third from melting ice on mountains and one third from land-based ice in Antarctica and Greenland (Rosen, 2015). Secondly, the extreme heat from the sun warms the water, making it take up more space compared to colder water; thus, increasing the volume of water in the sea. It should be noted that the oceans absorb over 90 percent of the increased atmospheric heat related to emissions from human activities (Peterson et al., 2013). Just like mercury in a thermometer, water expands as it is heated, causing sea levels to rise. The rise of sea levels at specific settings may be more or less due to local aspects such as changes in regional ocean currents, land subsidence from natural processes and whether the land is still recovering from the compressive weight of ice age glaciers. In most urban centers, the higher sea levels threaten infrastructure used by the local and regional industries. Unfortunately, many large cities in the United States are located on coastlines that are mainly vulnerable to sea level rises. Nearly five million Americans live within 4 feet of the local high-tide level (Leichenko and Thomas, 2012). It is important to note that sea level rise is not only happening but also it is accelerating. In the last five years, the rate of rising is estimated to be 3 to 3.5 mm per year. However, if this rate continues to accelerate as some scientists have forecasted, that can lead to significant problems for coastal towns in the future. National Centers for Environmental Information states that sea level is steadily rising in some coastal states such as Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, Carolina and Florida because the land is sinking (Rosen, 2015). In addition, many of America's major cities on the Atlantic coast are vulnerable to higher sea levels. Considerably, the critical hot spots in the United States where higher sea levels are apparent, indicate that both natural and human-made factors drive sea level. While rising sea levels are difficult to pinpoint in these places, a growing base of research has suggested that sea levels are steadily increasing and even accelerating. A recent study conducted by Kluver (2017) shows that sea levels have gradually over the last five years, and the rate of the rise has even doubled. The study was among the first to sue the methods of statistics to more accurately measure sea levels by highlighting the precision of modern tool and comparing it with other studies. In particular, Kluver (2017) found that sea levels on the East Coast of the United States are increasing more quickly than at any time in the last two decades. The areas on the East Coast are particularly vulnerable due to the climate change in the southern side. As a matter of fact, Antarctica's ice sheets are melting quicker and forcing the ocean currents to the northward side. Gravity is also liable for the higher sea levels on the East Coast because Antarctica's terrific mass put forth a massive pressure on the oceans, spreading all the way to the Atlantic.