A study published Monday shows that sea levels are rising twice as fast as previously thought in some parts of New Zealand, with sea level rise threatening the island’s two largest cities, Wellington and Auckland, among others, MTI reports.
Data collected by dozens of local and foreign scientists along the coast of New Zealand over the past five years as part of a large-scale research program called NZ SeaRise on behalf of the government. The researchers said authorities have less time than expected to adapt to the consequences of climate change, including resettling people who live along the coast.
He said that while global sea levels are expected to rise by half a meter by 2100, water levels in large parts of the Pacific island could rise by about one meter due to land subsidence. Tim NaishHe is a professor at Victoria University of Wellington.
Such a rise would have a particularly disastrous impact on the capital, Wellington, where a 30 percent rise in water levels by 2060 could already occur by 2040. One consequence of this rise in levels is the expected annual flooding in the city.
The area most at risk is the southeast coast of the North Island, the most densely populated area in New Zealand. Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, is particularly prone to flooding in the city center and some suburbs.
An online map was created as part of the NZ SeaRise program to help residents know how much sea level rise is expected in their place of residence.
