Sea Level Rise
Sea level rise is caused by melting ice sheets due to warming temperature and the expansion of seawater as it warms. Sea level is measured by two main methods: tide gauges and satellite altimeters. Using data of stations from around the world, scientists can calculate a global average and adjust it for seasonal differences.
The first line chart below shows that sea level has been rising at a rate of 3.3 mm per year since 1993. The second chart combines tide gauges and satellite data. It shows that sea level has risen by approximately 20 cm from 1900 to 2018. This is the average height, the height of rising sea level varies from place to place.
New Moore Island
The first to be hit by rising sea levels are the low- altitude islands. Here are two examples: New Moore Island and the Solomon Islands. New Moore Island is located off the border between India and Bangladesh. It was the target of a past dispute between the two countries over sovereignty.
On March 25, 2010, New Moore Island was declared completely submerged due to sea level rise caused by warming. No trace of New Moore Island can be found form both satellite observation and field survey. The territorial dispute between the two countries came to an end.
Solomon Islands
And an Australian paper documented what happened to Solomon Islands in 2016. It is Interactions between Sea Level Rise and Wave Exposure on Reef Island Dynamics in the Solomon Islands.
According to this paper, five of the Solomon Islands’ reefs have been lost to sea level rise and wave erosion. Six others have been seriously eroded and local residents have had to relocate and rebuild their villages far from the ocean. These islands range in size from 1-5 hectares and have existed for at least 300 years. The sea surface of the Solomon Islands is rising three times faster than the global average.
At least 11 islands across the northern Solomon Islands have either totally disappeared or are currently experiencing severe erosion over recent decades. The vanished five were all vegetated reef islands up to five hectares. They were not just little sand islands. The rise in sea levels will probably cause widespread erosion and inundation of low-lying atolls in the Pacific ocean.
Some places are not inundated even though the sea level is rising. That is because the crust rises or sediment accumulates. Such as Tuvalu. This does not mean that global warming and sea level rising do not exist. There are already several islands around the world that have been submerged.
Further Reading: 1-2 The Cost of Meat Eating Habit and Livestock｜1-3 Greenhouse Effect and Greenhouse Gases ｜ 1-5 The Real Percentage of Emission ｜2-1 Melting Ice
Cited Reports: Sea Level Rise and Wave Exposure on Solomon Islands
Relative Download: Diet and Environment Relative Download
