The Bottom of the Ocean Is Sinking
By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | January 4, 2018 07:18am ET
The bottom of the ocean is more of a "sunken place" than it used to be.
In recent decades, melting ice sheets and glaciers driven by climate change are swelling Earth's oceans. And along with all that water comes an unexpected consequence the weight of the additional liquid is pressing down on the seafloor, causing it to sink.
Consequently, measurements and predictions of sea-level rise may have been incorrect since 1993, underestimating the growing volume of water in the oceans due to the receding bottom, according to a new study. [7 Ways the Earth Changes in the Blink of an Eye]
Scientists have long known that Earth's crust, or outer layer, is elastic: Earlier research revealed how Earth's surface warps in response to tidal movements that redistribute masses of water; and 2017's Hurricane Harvey dumped so much water on Texas that the ground dropped 0.8 inches (2 centimeters), the Atlantic reported.
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