Sea level rise fastest on US east coast

Sea levels are rising on the United States's east coast faster than anywhere else in the world, according to a new report by the US Geological Survey.

Geological Survey scientists call the 600-mile swath from North Carolina to Boston a "hot spot" for climbing sea levels, according to CBS.  The Atlantic Ocean has been rising at an annual rate three to four times faster than the global average since 1990 along the east aoast, according to the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Asbury Sallenger, a Geological Survey oceanographer and lead author of the study, told The Boston Globe cities like Norfolk, New York and Boston are already experiencing damaging floods from low-level storms. He added that faster sea-level rise will add to “the height that storm surges and breaking waves reach on the coast.”

More from GlobalPost: Sea level off California to rise six inches by 2030: report

While the east coast may be experiencing the brunt of sea level rise, it isn't alone. Sea levels are rising all around the globe, according to New Scientist. Both water expanding as it heats up and melting ice caps are contributing to sea level rise. 

New Scientist also reported that during the 20th century ocean levels rose at an average of 1.7 millimeters per year, but since 1993 the rate has reached three millimeters a year.