Study Contradicts Rising Seas Claim, Shows Coastlines Are Gaining Land

A new study reveals that the Earth is actually gaining more land at coastlines, contrary to the belief that global warming is leading to shrinking continents.

The Dutch Deltares Research Institute study found that the Earth has gained more than 107,000 square miles of land over the last 30 years, including roughly 21,000 square miles along coastlines.

Water is taking over land in some areas, however. In that same timeframe, the planet has gained more than 71,000 square miles of water — which includes 12,500 square miles at the coast.

The research group used a tool that measured changes to land and water across the world.

"We expected that the coast would start to retreat due to sea level rise, but the most surprising thing is that the coasts are growing all over the world," researcher Dr. Fedor Baart told BBC News last week. "We're were able to create more land than sea level rise was taking."

A report last month, meanwhile, claimed that 18 U.S. military bases along the East Coast and the Gulf Coast are at risk because of climate change.

• Study: Sea Level Rising at Fastest Pace in 2,800 Years
  
• Rising Sea Levels Could Cost US Homeowners Close to $1 Trillion