In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Vivek Srikrishnan about factors that contribute to sea level rise. Srikrishnan, an assistant professor at Cornell University, describes the difficulties involved in analyzing the impact of the complex factors related to climate and climate change, which in turn lead to uncertainties in projecting the extent of future sea level rise. In a new publication, Srikrishnan and coauthors model different scenarios that capture those uncertainties. Srikrishnan also points out how short-lived greenhouse gases can lead to greater ice melt compared to more persistent greenhouse gases, as well as the irreversible nature of ice melts.

References and recommendations:

“The interplay of future emissions and geophysical uncertainties for projections of sea-level rise” by Chloe Darnell, Lisa Rennels, Frank Errickson, Tony Wong, and Vivek Srikrishnan; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-025-02457-0

“The Earth Transformed” by Peter Frankopan; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/635264/the-earth-transformed-by-peter-frankopan/

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Understanding Uncertainty in Climate Change and Sea Level Rise, with Vivek Srikrishnan

Resources Radio is a weekly podcast by Resources for the Future. Each week we talk to leading experts about climate change, electricity, ecosystems, and more, making the latest research accessible to everyone.