This blog contains information about Sea Level Rise. In the start, it explains what is sea level rise. It also explain the main Causes of Sea level rise in detail. We also discuss the Effects of Sea level rise in detail. In the end, it discusses the Preventive Measures for Sea Level Rise. This blog contains Causes, Effects and Prevention of Sea level rise.
What is Sea level rise?
It is the rise in sea level because of different geological and environmental factors of the Earth. In the ancient times, there was a gradual increase in sea level rise and it was never a problem for present era and future era.
But in present time, it is rising on exponential rates and has become a threat for humans and their residents. This rapid rise in sea level is causing the coastal areas to face the threat of flood and the people living in coastal areas are not safe anymore.
Sea level rise is influenced by many factors. These all factors are related to increasing Global Warming and abrupt Climate Change. This is causing and will continuously cause problems for living organisms on Earth by destructing their habitats and adding them into the sea.
It is predicted that if sea level continued to rise in the same pattern, Karachi in Pakistan will be dumped in the sea in next 10 to 20 years. In the same way coasts of South America are in great threat of flood in few years and the residents are worried about their homes. In this blog we will discuss the causes, effects and preventive measures for Sea level rise.
Causes of Sea Level Rise:
Following are the main causes of Sea level Rise:
Global Warming:
Earth’s temperature is increasing gradually by 0.5°C annually (approximately). This increase makes the glaciers and ice sheets to melt more rapidly than their actual time. The melted water than joins the sea water increasing its volume.
Since 1880 the sea level has rise about 8-9 inches. The rate of sea-level rise is gradually increasing and it is estimated that by the end of 21st century the sea-levels will rise to about 2000 folds as they are now even if the rate of Green House Gases (GHG emissions) are in control. In some parts of the world the sea-level is slightly higher than the rest of the world due to processes like land erosion oil ground water pumping and subsidence. According to NOAA Climate.gov the coastal areas of US are most prone to it.
Thermal expansion:
The heat is entrapped in the Earth due to the GHGs envelop around it and about 90% of this heat is absorbed by the oceans which increases the temperature of the ocean water. Now this heat energy makes the water molecules more energized which leads to expansion and water molecules spread even more resulting in sea-levels to rise. By using the measurements from Argo profiling floats NASA provides results that the global sea-level is rises by one-third since 2004.
Climate Change:
Climate change is a long term shifts of temperatures and weather patterns. These patterns may be Anthropogenic and natural also. This change is caused by high concentration of GHGs as a result of natural or Anthropogenic activities. This pose a drastic threat for environment in current time. There is unusual rainfall patterns and extreme heat waves which cause the disturbance in natural sea level rise. Current climate change is causing great impacts on the sea level rise.
These are the main factors causing Sea level rise in the environment.
Green Land Ice Sheet Loss
Effects of Sea level Rise:
Following are the effects of Sea level rise:
Threat to Humans:
Sea level rise is a great threat to humans because it will cause the coastal areas to dump in the sea in few years. Coastal areas in at big threat to get dumped and people will loose their homes and their life will be in danger.
Coastal Erosion:
As we know that coastal areas are rich in coastal resources. These resources are in great threat due to sea level rise. If the sea takes the coastal areas dumped into it, it will wash away all the resources and valuable goods with it. This can cause great economic loss to the respective regions.
Extreme Weather Patterns:
Sea level rise will cause extreme weather patterns such as storms, heavy rainfalls, increased evaporation during high temperatures and much more. This will disturb human life all over the world and will cause unpredictable weather conditions that can harm people.
Disappearance of Large Land Areas:
The rising sea levels will cause the disappearing of many important regions of the world. It can cause the dumping of few countries in the sea causing them to disappear forever. This will be so heartbreaking of the people of those regions and will be record breaking climatic activity since now.
Preventive Measures for Sea level Rise:
Though we cannot reverse the sea-levels as it was 100-200 years before but we can take some preventive measures to minimize the adverse effects. Following are the preventive measures to control Sea level Rise:
Planting trees:
Planting trees especially at the coastal areas will make the surface strong as the roots of trees increases the soil stability by preventing soil erosion from sea water. They are also able to convert salt water into fresh water i.e. which can used for daily life purposes. Trees are a natural temperature regulator which helps cooling down the temperature and provides shade. They are the natural source of carbon sequestration which is necessary to minimize the GHGs emission.
Due to the deep roots of trees beneath the Earth surface coastal flooding can be prevented with these increased sea-level.
Wetlands restoration:
Wetlands are a great deal in terms of fresh water availability, carbon absorption and cleaning sea water for daily life uses. On coastal lines they have an important role in preventing soil erosion and providing a safe habitat to the surrounding species.
Wetlands are a natural phenomenon but they can also be artificial by humans to make carbon sinks, cleaning water and for a diverse habitat. They absorb the GHGs which are the main source of global warming through which we can slow down the melting of glaciers, ice sheets and etc.
Flood barriers:
We can establish flood barriers by the construction of marshes on shorelines, oyster reefs. Other artificial construction that’ll help the soil barriers in becoming firmer. Another way to build a barrier is to do agricultural practices, the roots from the plants holds the soil and do not let the water overflows it.
Spreading awareness:
Sea-level rise is a concerning issue and requires the attention of stakeholders and government. So that we can take preventive measures before facing a difficult situation. We should spread awareness about the consequences of sea level rise in the people living in coastal regions. It will be to help them fight against the worst scenarios.
We can make it possible by organizing campaigns through which people will be able to know the consequences. These activities must be prioritized in coastal regions and the people living there because the measures that are to be taken is neither a one-man responsibility or nor they can be solved by making policies. The participation of whole community is the need to actually be able to see the practical results.
By following all these steps, we can prevent worst impacts of sea level rise and life loss.
Sea Level Rise
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