LONDON — As gray seals go, Sheba is grayer than most. The grand dame of the Cornish Seal Sanctuary was celebrated Saturday for her 50th birthday, far surpassing the lifespan of a seal in the wild and possibly being the oldest in captivity. "Reaching 50 is a huge milestone, not just for Sheba but for everyone here who has been part of her journey," said Tamara Cooper, curator at the facility in southwest England.
Sheba the seal at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek, southwest England. Things weren't looking bright for the young pup when she was rescued from a Cornwall beach in September 1974. Ken Jones found Sheba with a head injury and nasty eye infection and took her home where he and his wife, Mary, rehabilitated seals in a pool.
As Sheba grew up, so did the rescue operation, moving from Jones' backyard to the Helford River in the village of Gweek and expanding to rehabilitate over 70 seal pups a year. Sheba's condition, including loss of vision, prevented her return to the sea. She's now outlasted all of the other creatures who have come and gone, making her a favorite fixture at the facility.
Her longevity is attributed to the care she's received and advances in veterinary medicine. Seals typically survive 25 to 30 years in the wild, Cooper said. Females in captivity can live to 40 while males live to about 30.
Based on its research, the sanctuary staff believes Sheba is the oldest seal in captivity, said Heather Green, an animal care specialist Spook, a male gray seal born at the New York Aquarium in 1965, was thought to be the oldest seal when he died weeks shy of his 45th birthday in 2010. While Sheba's well-known and well-liked by the public and her handlers, she's not the most cooperative creature. When she was raised by Jones, his focus was on rescue, rehabilitation and release, Green said.
There was no training for the animals that stayed behind until more recent years. She has been reluctant to learn new tricks, such as being rolled over for inspections of her belly, flippers, tails and teeth. When it comes to receiving drops for her milky eyes, she does well some days while on others she waddles her mottled-fur frame away and splashes back into the pool.
"She's a bit stubborn," Green said. "She'd been so used to just being fed and not having to work for her fish that even now she still protests slightly. If we ask her to do any behavior or something, it's all on her own sweet time and she'll definitely let you know if she's up for training or not.
" Sheba the seal on her 49th birthday in September 2023 at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek, southwest England. At her so-called seal-abration, a brass band serenaded Sheba and visitors and staff sang "Happy Birthday." Presented with a purple triple-layer cake made of ice and adorned with her name, the number 50 and several hearts, the guest of honor happily chomped on the small fish poking from the top.
"She'll eat any fish," Green said. "She's not particularly fussy." By 2050, global sea levels could increase by 1 foot from where they were at the start of the millennium.
Iconic beaches, large city centers, and quaint coastal towns will all have to be adapted for higher water levels. Sea level rise means more than just coastal land eaten up by the ocean. It will cause more inland neighborhoods to be at risk of storm surges during hurricanes and high tides, more regular flooding, and saltwater intrusion into freshwater resources.
For communities facing the brunt of shifting waters, planning for resilience has become paramount. Charleston, South Carolina's climate resilience office has a multipronged plan , including seawall construction and shoreline restoration. Still, Charleston Harbor experienced 70 flooding events in 2022 , the second highest in recorded history dating back to 1922.
Continued flooding and extreme weather events highlight the urgency of infrastructure fixes to mitigate sea level rise, but such plans are often expensive. In California, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission has identified projects to enhance and build seawalls, levees, and marshes across the region's coastline. The cost of all the projects is estimated to be $110 billion by 2050.
So far $5 billion has been allocated. In western Oregon, the state's Department of Transportation estimates it would cost over $40 million to make a section of U.S.
Highway 101 resilient to cliff erosion that will become more pronounced with sea level rise. Planning for the future is also challenging for smaller communities. Solutions like paying to move and demolish waterfront houses are often unpopular with homeowners, and beach nourishment, or adding more sand to the coastline from the ocean floor, is an expensive and temporary solution.
The impact of sea level rise will be far-reaching on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the U.S., but sea level rise will not affect the world equally.
Some of the countries impacted will be those who have contributed the least to global greenhouse gas emissions such as Vietnam, Bangladesh, and small South Pacific islands. An analysis from Carbon Brief found the U.S.
was responsible for releasing over 500 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent since 1850, or 20% of the world's historical total. Other major emitters include China (11%) and Russia (7%). As human activity releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, their heat-trapping characteristics fuel the warmer weather that causes sea level rise.
Ocean water naturally expands with warmer temperatures. Along with meltwater from shrinking Arctic sea ice and glaciers pouring into the world's oceans, global mean sea levels increase. Emissions currently in the atmosphere mean sea level rise can't be stopped, but lower emissions scenarios can slow its pace.
Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's sea level rise technical report , released in 2022, Stacker identified projected sea level rise by 2050 for 40 cities in the U.S. The report identifies five sea level rise scenarios based on changes by 2100 from 2000 levels.
They are low (an average of 1 foot globally), intermediate-low (1.6 feet), intermediate (3.3 feet), intermediate-high (4.
9 feet), and high (6.6 feet). For each, projections under low, medium, and high emissions scenarios are included.
Stacker focused on each emissions scenario for low, intermediate, and high sea level rise. Unlike most places on this list, cities in Alaska are seeing falling sea levels, as its land is actually rising with shifting tectonic plates. Read on to see where major coastal cities in the U.
S. stand. - NOAA Region: National - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: -1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: -0.7 feet --- High emissions: -0.5 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: -0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: -0.6 feet --- High emissions: -0.3 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: -0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: -0.2 feet --- High emissions: 0.3 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.4 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.3 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.7 feet --- High emissions: 2.2 feet - NOAA Region: Northwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.1 feet --- High emissions: 0.2 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.4 feet --- High emissions: 0.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.8 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.4 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.4 feet --- High emissions: 1.7 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
3 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.7 feet --- High emissions: 2.3 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.9 feet --- High emissions: 1.2 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.5 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.4 feet --- High emissions: 2.0 feet - NOAA Region: Eastern Gulf - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.4 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
4 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.8 feet --- High emissions: 2.3 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.2 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.2 feet --- High emissions: 1.5 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.5 feet --- High emissions: 2.0 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.2 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.2 feet --- High emissions: 1.5 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.5 feet --- High emissions: 2.0 feet - NOAA Region: Southeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.1 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.2 feet --- High emissions: 1.5 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.6 feet --- High emissions: 2.1 feet - NOAA Region: Western Gulf - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.4 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
4 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.8 feet --- High emissions: 2.3 feet - NOAA Region: Eastern Gulf - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.9 feet --- High emissions: 1.1 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.2 feet --- High emissions: 1.4 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.6 feet --- High emissions: 2.1 feet - NOAA Region: Southeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.8 feet --- High emissions: 1.0 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.5 feet --- High emissions: 2.0 feet - NOAA Region: Western Gulf - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
4 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.6 feet --- High emissions: 1.8 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.8 feet --- High emissions: 2.1 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 2.2 feet --- High emissions: 2.8 feet - NOAA Region: Western Gulf - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.4 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
4 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.6 feet --- High emissions: 1.9 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 2.1 feet --- High emissions: 2.6 feet - NOAA Region: Western Gulf - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.7 feet --- High emissions: 1.9 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 2.0 feet --- High emissions: 2.3 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 2.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 2.4 feet --- High emissions: 2.9 feet - NOAA Region: Hawaiian Islands - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.7 feet --- High emissions: 0.9 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.4 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.6 feet --- High emissions: 2.2 feet - NOAA Region: Hawaiian Islands - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.6 feet --- High emissions: 0.7 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.9 feet --- High emissions: 1.2 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.4 feet --- High emissions: 2.1 feet - NOAA Region: National - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: -2.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: -1.9 feet --- High emissions: -1.8 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: -1.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: -1.6 feet --- High emissions: -1.4 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: -1.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: -1.2 feet --- High emissions: -0.8 feet - NOAA Region: Southeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.8 feet --- High emissions: 1.0 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.5 feet --- High emissions: 2.0 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.4 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.3 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
3 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.7 feet --- High emissions: 2.2 feet - NOAA Region: Southwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.3 feet --- High emissions: 0.4 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.6 feet --- High emissions: 0.9 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - NOAA Region: Southwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
3 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.4 feet --- High emissions: 0.5 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.7 feet --- High emissions: 0.9 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.3 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.6 feet --- High emissions: 2.2 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.2 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.6 feet --- High emissions: 2.1 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.2 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.5 feet --- High emissions: 2.1 feet - NOAA Region: Eastern Gulf - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.8 feet --- High emissions: 1.0 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.4 feet --- High emissions: 1.9 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.2 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.6 feet --- High emissions: 2.1 feet - NOAA Region: Northwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.1 feet --- High emissions: 0.2 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.4 feet --- High emissions: 0.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.8 feet --- High emissions: 1.2 feet - NOAA Region: Northwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.2 feet --- High emissions: 0.4 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
4 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.5 feet --- High emissions: 0.8 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.5 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.8 feet --- High emissions: 1.1 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.4 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.3 feet --- High emissions: 1.9 feet - NOAA Region: Southwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
4 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.5 feet --- High emissions: 0.6 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.8 feet --- High emissions: 1.0 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.3 feet --- High emissions: 1.7 feet - NOAA Region: Southwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
4 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.5 feet --- High emissions: 0.6 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.8 feet --- High emissions: 1.0 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.2 feet --- High emissions: 1.7 feet - NOAA Region: Southwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.3 feet --- High emissions: 0.4 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
4 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.6 feet --- High emissions: 0.8 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.5 feet - NOAA Region: Southwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
3 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.4 feet --- High emissions: 0.5 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.7 feet --- High emissions: 0.9 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - NOAA Region: Northwest - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
4 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.4 feet --- High emissions: 0.6 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
6 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.7 feet --- High emissions: 0.9 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - NOAA Region: Eastern Gulf - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.9 feet --- High emissions: 1.0 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.4 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.5 feet --- High emissions: 2.0 feet - NOAA Region: National - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: -0.
5 feet --- Medium emissions: -0.4 feet --- High emissions: -0.3 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: -0.
3 feet --- Medium emissions: -0.1 feet --- High emissions: 0.2 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.4 feet --- High emissions: 0.9 feet - NOAA Region: Northeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
8 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.0 feet --- High emissions: 1.3 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
0 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.3 feet --- High emissions: 1.6 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
2 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.6 feet --- High emissions: 2.1 feet - NOAA Region: Southeast - Low sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
7 feet --- Medium emissions: 0.9 feet --- High emissions: 1.1 feet - Intermediate sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 0.
9 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.1 feet --- High emissions: 1.4 feet - High sea level rise scenarios: --- With low emissions: 1.
1 feet --- Medium emissions: 1.5 feet --- High emissions: 2.0 feet Data reporting by Emma Rubin.
Story editing by Ashleigh Graf. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.
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