No, New Jersey Sea Level Is NOT Rising at Double the Global Average

The New Jersey news website NorthJersey.com told a whopper of a lie yesterday in its fawning coverage of The Climate Delusion. The website is championing state officials requiring schools to incorporate climate change into K-12 curricula. Promoting the development, the website asserted sea level rise in New Jersey is occurring at double the pace of the global average. Let’s let the science set the record straight regarding New Jersey sea level rise.

In its June 3 article, “New Jersey becomes first state to incorporate climate change in K-12 curriculum,” NorthJersey.com claims, “New Jersey is fast becoming ground zero for climate change. Sea level rise is happening so fast in the state that it’s double the global average….”

According to NOAA and NASA satellite data, global sea level is rising at 3.1 millimeters (mm) per year. NOAA also monitors approximately 100 tidal gauges along the U.S. coastline, including three in New Jersey. The New Jersey tidal gauges would have to report sea level rising at least 6.2 mm per year to double the global average. Here is the pace of sea level rise at the three New Jersey stations:

• Atlantic City – 4.12 mm/yr, or 32% above the global average
• Cape May – 4.73 mm/yr, or 52% above the global average
• Sandy Hook – 4.12 mm/yr, or 32% above the global average

As you can see, none of the New Jersey tidal gauges report sea level rising anywhere near double the global average.

In fact, not a single tidal gauge in neighboring Delaware, New York, or Pennsylvania reports anywhere near double the global average, either.

Also, not a single tidal gauge anywhere on the U.S. East Coast reports double the global average.

Let’s hope New Jersey’s actual climate curricula is a little more truthful and accurate than the false claims made by NorthJersey.com. Then again, don’t bet on it.