The Balancing Act of Water Levels in a Warming World

 

A balanced water level could mean the difference between flooding or drought, and life or death. This balance has been thrown out of whack by global warming, as the ice melts around the world and sea levels continue to rise. Scientists predict we’ll see major changes in the coming decades, and whether we’re ready or not, those changes will affect all of us. Here’s what’s being done to help offset these problems and protect our communities from devastating floods and rising water levels.

Report from 2017:

According to NASA’s annual report, Earth experienced record-high temperatures last year. These unusually hot temperatures are just one impact that humans have had on our planet: they threaten polar ice caps and increase sea levels with melting glaciers and thermal expansion, putting our cities and towns at risk. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that global warming will continue, causing more severe droughts, heat waves, floods, and hurricanes. People everywhere will feel these impacts sooner rather than later if we don’t take action now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Change:

The overall average temperature on Earth has increased by 0.8 degree Celsius (1.4 degrees Fahrenheit) since 1880, according to NASA data. The oceans have been absorbing more than 90 percent of that increase, making them warmer and leading ice caps to melt into warmer seas that rise around coastal cities. If current trends continue, climate scientists say global sea levels could rise between 0.3 meters (10 inches) and 1 meter (3 feet) by 2100, even if major steps are taken to curb global carbon dioxide emissions over the next few decades. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that roughly 100 million people live in areas at risk for flooding due to rising sea levels—and many experts believe those numbers are vastly underestimated given how urban populations are growing. Sea-level rise is already an issue today, said Eric Rignot, a professor of earth system science at UC Irvine. It's not something that's going to happen in 100 years.

Causes:

Our climate is changing, and the consequences are visible. Global warming continues to melt ice caps across the globe and sea levels are rising. Experts predict these numbers will continue to rise over the next century, which means that shorelines will expand and habitats will change. While it might seem like bad news for global warming enthusiasts, there’s hope that our changing landscape can help restore balance to water levels around the world. It all starts with understanding how we got here and what we can do about it now—let's start with the problem itself. Sea levels have risen by nearly 20 cm (8 inches) since 1880 as a result of increased ocean temperatures due to greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Most people think sea level rise occurs only when glaciers melt or seawater expands due to warmer temperatures; however, land-based ice sheets also contribute significantly to rising ocean levels. As you may recall from geography class, glacial runoff causes landmasses on either side of glaciers—called tributaries—to grow at different rates based on their geographical characteristics.

Effects:

One of the many effects global warming has on our planet is rising sea levels. Cities along coastlines have historically been built where they are because they’re convenient. They make perfect sense as hubs for trade and commerce, but when cities end up in the water, it can get bad—really fast. To develop ways to tackle sea level rise, we need to first understand how high that water could go; unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer. There are many different factors at play that determine how much ice melts and how much sea levels rise—one popular model estimates as much as 10 feet by 2100! Although we know that coastal cities will be affected by rising water levels, exactly which ones will be is unpredictable...but it sure won't be pretty. The only thing we do know for certain is that even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, climate change will continue to impact us for years. It’s time to take action. The good news? We can do something about it! While scientists work towards long-term solutions like geoengineering, short-term mitigation strategies exist too. For example, green roofs reduce heat absorption from buildings and help keep cities cooler overall; other strategies include implementing flood barriers or building levees to protect low-lying areas from flooding during storms or heavy rains...and those are just two examples out of hundreds!

Cities can be affected by sea-level rise:

The Intergovernmental Board on Environmental Change (IPCC) figures that by 2100, ocean levels could be essentially as much as 1.1 meters higher than they are today and no measure of outflow decrease can stop the close and mid-term effects of this peculiarity. As per ocean level ascent projections, almost one billion individuals will be presented with a lot more danger of flooding by mid-century.

1. Bangkok, Thailand

Ocean-level ascent projections put Thailand's capital as the world's weak city. The low-lying city - which has a typical rise of 1.5 meters above ocean level - is as of now taking care of this environmental change-initiated peculiarity. Following the lethal surges of 2011 - which cost the existence of many individuals - a fifth of the city was purportedly submerged. However, the circumstance is supposed to deteriorate.

2. Amsterdam, Netherlands

Second, on the rundown is Amsterdam. Floods are the same old thing for the capital of the Netherlands; 26% of the nation is situated underneath ocean level and most of the metropolitan regions are worked around water bodies with flood potential. Consequently, the city as of now has a portion of the world's most modern flood control frameworks set up and has more than once been changed and worked on throughout recent years.

3. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A blend of elevated tides, weighty downpours, flood in the Saigon and Dong Nai waterways, and land subsidence because of fast groundwater extraction puts Ho Chi Minh City high on the rundown of the urban communities generally defenseless against ocean-level ascent. Almost 45% of Vietnam's capital is found short of one meter above ocean level and repetitive floods are a conventional event. In any case, tide-emptying out wastelands that once safeguarded regions most in danger of flooding have gradually been topped off to fabricate lodging, prompting record-breaking stream tides that cost a large number of dollars in harm as well as put the existences of countless individuals in danger.

4. Cardiff, UK

The Welsh capital was named one of the world's urban areas most in danger from an Earth-wide temperature boost, with ocean level ascent among the most unsettling issues. Researchers foresee a 21 to 68-centimeter ascend in ocean levels by 2096, which would result in the greater part of the city being submerged. At the ongoing rate, metropolitan regions that are presently home to very nearly 300 million individuals are likewise expected to flood no less than once a year by 2050.

5. New Orleans, US

During sweltering and sticky summers, New Orleans is as often as possible hit by weighty showers and rainstorms. When these match with elevated tides, streak floods happen. The city's low rise according to the ocean level, combined with difficult issues in the seepage framework and the way that it sits between wetlands, the Mississippi Stream, and two significant lakes, essentially builds the seriousness of flooding.

6. Manila, Philippines

There are not many different urban communities as powerless against ocean-level ascent as metropolitan Manila. The capital of the Philippines - one of the most fiasco-inclined nations on the planet - sits part of the way underneath ocean level due to extreme groundwater siphoning. Despite being hit by 20 hurricanes a year, by and large, the city's unfortunate waste framework battles to stay up with weighty precipitation and empty water quickly enough to abstain from flooding.

7. London, UK

Cardiff isn't the main city feeling the impacts of environmental change in the UK. Like any city working around a significant waterway, London is especially helpless against flooding because of the worldwide ocean level ascent. ocean level ascent projections -

Figure 6: Earth.Org Ocean Level Ascent Projections by 2100 for two situations with how much ascent in meters demonstrated (gentle = 4m; outrageous = 6m). Rate and complete populace relocation demonstrated base right.

8. Shenzhen, China

Other than having almost 130,000 square kilometers of the beachfront region at or under 10 meters above ocean level, numerous locales in China are inclined to environmental change-prompted flooding and serious tempests, compromising even non-waterfront regions. Among the metropolitan regions generally defenseless against rising tides is the southeastern city of Shenzhen situated in the Guangdong Territory.

These are a few names there are millions of cities which going to be affected.

What can we do?

While rising sea levels and drastic weather conditions may seem like an unstoppable force, some steps can be taken to prevent further damage and even slow down these changes. First, we should stop using fossil fuels to power our society. Rather than continue to harm our environment by continuing to use energy sources that contribute more carbon emissions into the atmosphere, we should start building wind turbines and solar panels instead. These renewable energy resources are clean sources that would greatly benefit our planet as well as reduce problems like global warming and rising sea levels.

A climate paradox:

As Earth’s temperature rises, you might think that global sea levels should rise along with it. But for years, researchers have found that sea level rise doesn’t correlate well with rising global temperatures. There are several reasons why sea levels could be rising at different rates around the world. A new study from Rutgers University explains one reason for these discrepancies: local environmental factors. For example, if an area has a buildup of fresh water from melting ice or groundwater pumping, it will displace saltwater and cause localized sea levels to drop—which could result in even more flooding as storm surges push deeper into low-lying areas.