Sea level rise is one of the most visible and pressing consequences of climate change. As global temperatures continue to rise, glaciers and ice sheets are melting, causing sea levels to rise. In this article, we will explore how sea level rise is affected by climate change, its impacts, and how people can adapt to it.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted that global sea levels will rise by up to one meter by the end of the century, with even higher levels possible if emissions continue to rise. The melting of glaciers and ice is the primary cause of sea level rise, with warming oceans also contributing to the expansion of the ocean.
The impacts of sea level rise are widespread and severe. Coastal cities and communities are at risk of flooding and storm surges, which can damage infrastructure, property, and homes. Low-lying islands and regions are particularly vulnerable, with some at risk of disappearing altogether. Sea level rise can also lead to saltwater intrusion, which can contaminate freshwater resources and harm agriculture and ecosystems.
In addition, not only the cities and humans are in danger, but also the wildlife, especially the ones that live in coastal areas. As sea levels rise, coastal habitats such as beaches, salt marshes, and mangroves may be lost, which can have devastating consequences for animals that rely on these habitats for food, shelter, and breeding. For an example, turtles will lose their breeding places, and they will have to adapt deeper in certain areas which may make them more vulnerable. As mentioned before, saltwater will contaminate freshwater that also makes it hard for wildlife to find drinkable sources of water.
People can adapt to sea level rise and there are several measures that people can take. One of the most effective is to develop coastal resilience plans, which involve a combination of hard engineering solutions, such as sea walls and levees, and soft solutions, such as beach nourishment and wetland restoration. These solutions can help to mitigate the impacts of sea level rise and reduce the risk of flooding. By reducing the risk of flooding, we won’t have that many damages and deaths.
Community-level actions can also help to reduce the impact of sea level rise. For example, cities can implement urban planning and design strategies that prioritize green infrastructure, such as parks and green roofs, with this infrastructure they can absorb and retain water during floods. Education and awareness campaigns can also help to inform the public about the risks of sea level rise and climate change, so together we can start reducing the dangers we are facing.
The most important adaptation we can do is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change. While adaptation is essential, it is also crucial to address the root causes of sea level rise by reducing our contribution to global warming. This can involve reducing our carbon footprint through measures such as using renewable energy sources, reducing our use of fossil fuels. With these methods, we can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, they won’t disappear, but reducing the acceleration of sea lever rise is a good start.
In conclusion, sea level rise is a significant consequence of climate change, with far-reaching impacts on coastal communities and ecosystems. To adapt to sea level rise, people can take measures such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building sea walls, levees and whole communities can implement adaptation measures and nature-based solutions. It is crucial that we take action to mitigate the impacts of sea level rise and reduce our contribution to climate change to ensure a more sustainable future for every life in our planet.
References : https://coast.noaa.gov/slr/#/layer/slr
https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sealevel.html
https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/sea-level-rise-and-adaptation
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Ocean sea level rise is a contributing factor which is one of the main attributes of the effects of climate change and a major change in the Earth’s geography. The idea of seawalls and levees are a great solution to combat rising levels of the ocean as demonstrated in the Netherlands, where dikes or levees attached to land areas have elevated land at the edges where the soil meets the water. In the event of the sea level rising, a structure called the “Maeslantkering” containing a sort of closing curved structural member blocks off any excess leveling of water. The Dutch also made a series of levees that also serve as roads which are acting as dams with each river containing a variety of levees that continuously run to the end of the river controlling the event for any flood to enter inland. Through these systems the Dutch have also begun land reclamation with numerous water levels being leveled to the surface with the adding of levees and cutting off water entry into lands which are below sea level. Land reclamation is also performed in another way as seen in Tokyo. These new land forms of islands at Tokyo Bay are made of garbage waste collected and laid out as new lands. “The island is composed of ash from incinerated trash, pulverized non burnable trash and processed sewage sludge, along with real soil.” – Tim Hornyak. Additional shifts towards relying on ocean water as a water source is another idea which involves the heavy amount of desalination of the salts and minerals that are not drinkable, into pure drinkable water found in freshwater.
Kraft, Larry. “Larry Kraft.” Home -, wildernessclassroom.org/clever-dutch-manage-water/. Accessed 11 May 2023.
“Desalination Can Make Saltwater Drinkable – but It Won’t Solve the U.S. Water Crisis.” The Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2022, http://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/09/28/desalination-saltwater-drought-water-crisis/.
Hornyak, Tim. “Wasteland: Tokyo Grows on Its Own Trash.” The Japan Times, 15 Feb. 2021, http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/02/18/environment/wasteland-tokyo-grows-trash/.
Hornyak, Tim. “Wasteland: Tokyo Grows on Its Own Trash.” The Japan Times, 15 Feb. 2021, http://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2017/02/18/environment/wasteland-tokyo-grows-trash/.