Mediterranean sea level found to be rising three times faster than expected
The effects of climate change are speeding up the process of rising water on the coast of Spain
The sea level in the Mediterranean is rising three times faster than expected and will endanger human activities and infrastructure by the end of the century, according to findings published by the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). Furthermore, scientists warn that the gradual sinking of large areas of land on the coast has not been taken into account, which is aggravating the problem.
The report, which was also co-authored by Radboud University (Netherlands), explains that current projections of sea level rise, published in 2021 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, are “ underestimated along the coasts”.
“Subsidence, i.e. the slow downward movement of the soil due to natural or anthropogenic causes, plays a crucial role in the acceleration of sea level rise along the coasts, triggered by global warming since 1880,” explains Marco Anzidei, researcher at INGV in a press release issued by the organisation.
“The results show maximum and minimum differences with respect to the IPCC report, which range, respectively, between approximately 109 centimetres more and 77 centimetres less, with an average value higher by approximately 8 centimetres,” explains Vecchio.
“A large part of the coasts of Italy, Greece, Spain and France are sinking, thus accelerating the rise in sea level,” the study adds.
“Therefore, concrete measures are needed to support coastal populations, which will be increasingly vulnerable to rising sea levels and the increased risks associated with them at the end of this century and in the future,” the report concludes.
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Images: INGV
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