At a Glance

Miami and other areas along the East Coast saw a dramatic increase in sea levels from 2011 to 2015.A new study concludes that this region is hot spot, where naturally occurring climate patterns drove more water into these areas.

Sea level rise is accelerating along the East Coast at a faster rate than some other parts of the planet, according to a new study, and residents in the Miami area say they've noticed.

The findings, in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, reveal thatsea level rise increased from 3 or 4 millimeters per year to 20 from 2011 to 2015. This has caused continual coastal flooding, particularly at high tide, from North Carolina down to South Florida.

These areas where seas are rising much faster than the global norm are known as hot spots,victims of a dramatic increase in water levels for a period of three to five years, the study said. Twenty millimeters per year may seem minuscule, but for Miami residents, it's dramatic.

"The Miami area started getting ," University of Miami coastal geologist Hal Wanlesstold Gizmodo. "People noticed that."

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According to the study, what's happening in Miami has been caused by multiple factors. When the El Niño South Oscillation (ENSO) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NOA) – two climate patterns that occur naturally – are both present, water is piled up in a coastal area at higher levels than the worldwide average. This is where those hot spots occur, the study said, though some scientists argueother climate patterns may also play a factor, and more research is needed.

Regardless, these hot spots are likely to be enhanced even more as sea levels rise. The phenomenon proves everyone doesn't see rising seas exactly the same, and it can be difficult to predict who'll see it the worst.

"The important point here is that smooth projections of sea level rise do not capture this variability, so adverse effects of sea level rise may occur ," study co-author Andrea Dutton saidin a press release. "The entire U.S. Atlantic coastline is vulnerable to these hot spots that may amplify the severity of coastal flooding."