The Jersey Shore may not be in the same place you left it next century.
A new study finds the sea level is rising faster in New Jersey than anywhere else along the East Coast.
In a study being conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, research shows that sea levels along the Atlantic Coast rose three times faster in the 20th century than it did in the previous 4,000 years.
The research was in two recent papers in the journal Geology.
“There is universal agreement that sea level will rise as a result of global warming but by how much, when and where it will have the most effect is unclear,” earth science professor Benjamin P. Horton said.
The sea level is rising not only because of melting polar ice and expansion of a warmer ocean, but also because land in the mid-Atlantic is sinking, researchers say.
Strong coastal storms have decimated beaches and flooded bayside neighborhoods up and down the Jersey coast. Damage from the November Nor'easter "Ida" was so severe New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was forced to declare states of emergency in six counties.
So what do these findings say about the future?
Researchers say they are unable to predict if these trends will continue and how rising seas will affect one area over another.
