Sea Level Rise Projections

Sea Level Rise Projections: An Overview

Sea Level Rise In Washington State – A 2018 Assessment provides updated absolute and relative sea level rise (RSLR) projections out to the year 2150. These projections are probabilistic, meaning they describe a full range of likelihoods of future sea level changes for a given greenhouse gas scenario over time. These projections also account for the geographic variability in the vertical movement of the land surface across Washington state (hence, relative sea level rise) and are designed for direct application to risk management and planning. 

The 2018 assessment was completed as part of the Washington Coastal Resilience Project (WCRP). For more information about these projections, and for extensive documentation on the methodology used, please follow this link to the Climate Impacts Group website.

In the video below, Ian Miller, Coastal Hazards Specialist with Washington Sea Grant, discusses findings of the 2018 assessment and projections for the future of sea level rise in Washington State. 

Interactive Sea Level Rise Projection Tools

The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group has produced two different ways to examine the sea level rise projections provided by the 2018 assessment. They allow users to explore how the projections change over time (2020-2150) for over 171 distinct locations along the Washington coast. 

Visualization 1 allows the user to select a location and view various likelihoods for how much sea level rise could occur at different points in time.

Visualization 2 allows the user to select a location and a certain amount of sea level rise, and explore the likelihood that the selected amount of sea level rise will occur at a given point in time (e.g. you know the amount of sea level change you are planning for and you want to know the likelihood that this amount will be exceeded at a given point in time).

To use these interactive projection tools, learn more about them, and download raw data, navigate to the interactive projection tools page on this website.