{
  "id": 18156222,
  "title": "Fivefold increase in rate of rising sea levels - study",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/fivefold-increase-in-rate-of-rising-sea-levels-study",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-04T17:51:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTE News",
    "slug": "rte-news",
    "url": "https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2026/1104/1598015-sea-levels-rising-study/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A major new scientific study has revealed that sea levels around Ireland have risen at a rate more than five times faster since the start of the 21st century compared to the rest of the 20th century. Researchers at Maynooth University reconstructed over a century of sea-level measurements from six coastal locations, finding that the average annual increase jumped from under 1mm in most of the 1900s to over 3mm since 2000. In the 31 years between 1993 and 2024, sea levels climbed by about 9cm, while the previous 50-year period from 1925 to 1975 saw a rise of just 1.3cm. By 2024, the annualized rate reached an estimated 4.26mm, with notably higher rates along certain sections of the coast. The fastest rate was observed at Tarbert in County Kerry, with an average annual increase of 1.43mm. The research, published in the journal Ocean Science, emphasizes the urgent need to consider local conditions when planning coastal defenses and adapting infrastructure to climate change impacts.",
  "summary": "The rate at which sea levels are rising around Ireland has increased more than fivefold since the beginning of this century, according to a major new scientific study.",
  "key_points": [
    "Sea levels in Ireland rose 5x faster since 2000",
    "Average annual increase jumped from <1mm to >3mm",
    "9cm rise in 31 years, 1.3cm in previous 50 years"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}