Sea Level Changes and the Texas
Coastal Environment
Introduction to lesson used with “A Virtual Tour of Texas Gulf
Coast Barrier Islands” 3D model
Developed by a partnership between
Bureau of Economic Geology
The University of Texas at Austin
Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies
Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
And
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
Texas
Gulf of Mexico
Cuba
Mexico
Mississippi
River Delta
Shoreline
Length
Sabine Pass
Gulf = 600 km
Galveston
Bay
Shoreline between
Sabine Pass –
Louisiana/TX border
and the Rio Grande TX/Mexico border
Bays = 9,400 km
Gulf of Mexico
Texas
Shoreline surrounding
all of the bays on TX
coast (Galveston,
Laguna Madre, etc.)
Rio Grande
Laguna Madre
Increasing Carbon Dioxide
Source: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Sources of Carbon Dioxide
Electric Power Generation 40% of CO2 emissions
Transportation 32 % of CO2 emissions
Source: Energy Information Administration
You release CO2 into the atmosphere every
time you:
•Watch TV
•Use the Air Conditioner
•Turn on a Light
•Use a Hair Dryer
•Ride in a Car
•Use a Computer
•Listen to a Stereo
•Wash or Dry Clothes
•Use a Dish Washer
•Microwave a Meal
Sunlight brings energy into the climate system; most of it is absorbed by the oceans
and land.
THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT:
Heat (infrared energy) radiates outward from the warmed surface of the Earth.
Some of the infrared energy is absorbed by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,
which re-emit the energy in all directions.
Some of the infrared energy further warms the Earth.
Some of the infrared energy is emitted into space.
AMPLIFIED GREENHOUSE EFFECT:
Higher concentrations of CO2 and other "greenhouse" gases trap more infrared
energy in the atmosphere than occurs naturally. The additional heat further warms
the atmosphere and Earth’s surface.
Source: Koshland Science Museum
http://www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhibitgcc/greenhouse01.jsp
Increased Greenhouse Gases’ possible
Impact on Global Sea Level
• Increased greenhouse gasses in the Earth’s
atmosphere my result in more infrared energy (heat)
being trapped
• This may cause the Earth’s surface and atmosphere
to become warmer
• A warmer Earth could mean an increase in glacial
melting and warmer ocean temperatures
• As water becomes warmer, it expands taking up
more space. This phenomenon is called thermal
expansion
• Thermal expansion of ocean water + increase of
water in the oceans due to glacial melting = rising
sea level.
*Local sea level change is also effected by changes in land elevation through
faulting, subsidence, and shoreline erosion.
Relative Sea Level Rise
Global Sea Level Rise
From IPCC 4th assessment report
Artale et al., 2007
Corpus Christi Bay
Present
Sea Level
1-m Sea
Level Rise
2-m Sea
Level Rise
3-m Sea
Level Rise
4-m Sea
Level Rise
5-m Sea
Level Rise
Areas
Vulnerable to
Sea-level Rise
on the Texas
Coast
Source: Environmental
Protection Agency
Global Impact of Sea-Level Rise
Sea-Level Rise (m)
1
2
3
4
5
Population Affected (millions)
107.94
175.10
233.99
308.08
376.26
From Rowley, Kostelnick, Braaten, Li, and Meisel, 2007, EOS
Barrier Island Cross Section
Today
Protective
Ridge
Wetland
Upland
Island
Upland
Beach/
Core
Future Dune
Beach/Dune
Bay
Wetland
Upland
Future
Wetland
After 60 Years of Sea-Level Rise and Erosion
Wetland
Wetland
Upland
Island
Core
Protective
Ridge
Upland
Beach/
Dune
Gulf
0m
Mustang
Island
Inundation
by Year
2100
Based on
IPCC (2007) sea-level
rise projections plus
local land subsidence
estimate
+0.46m
+0.87m
Sea Level Changes and the Texas
Coastal Environment Lesson
• Read the information provided to you by your teacher.
• View the video for a demonstration of navigating through
the model.
• Explore the model on your own to familiarize yourself
with navigating and using the data in the model. Also use
this time to familiarize yourself with the geography of the
Gulf of Mexico and the Texas Coast.
• Answer the questions in the lesson.
http://coastal.beg.utexas.edu/thscmp/index.html