Estimating sea level rise for Vietnam East Sea

Abstract

Sea level rise for Vietnam East Sea in the 21st century was determined under both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. Changes in sea level of the Vietnam East Sea due to dynamic and thermosteric processes was estimated using results of different Atmosphere - Ocean General Circulation Model (AOGCMs) under the prescribed method in the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). Changes in sea level due to ice melting and land water storage was determined using a transfer function for global water balance based on the contribution of each sea level rise contributing component for different regions. Changes in sea level as a result of the vertical motion of the Earth’s crust due to changes in the Earth’s cryosphere was determined using the ICE5G models. The results showed that for the RCP 8.5 scenario, by the end of the 21st century, the average sea level rise is 76 cm, with estimated values varying between 52 cm and 106 cm at the 5% and 95% confidence intervals, respectively. For the RCP 4.5 scenario, the average sea level rise is 52 cm, with values of 33 cm and 75 cm at the 5% and 95% confidence interval, respectively. The sea level rise scenario determined for the Vietnam East Sea is slightly higher in comparison with the globally estimated results in AR5.

Keywords

• climate change
• sea level rise scenarios
• Vietnam East Sea