Climate crisis threatened beaches: Sand

The climate crisis is exacerbating the Erosion on the coasts of the world. Therefore, large parts of the sandy beaches, according to a study in danger. Where

Climate crisis threatened beaches: Sand

The climate crisis is exacerbating the Erosion on the coasts of the world. Therefore, large parts of the sandy beaches, according to a study in danger.

Where is the beach? During the storm Sabine on the island of Norderney photo: Priller&Maug/imago

BERLIN taz | The sea is devouring beaches. The water flooded a small grain of sand away, again and again. Some sink to the sea floor, others go with the waves on the trip to stay again somewhere in the country hanging.

Erosion is a natural process that is dangerous to humans, if you live close to the coast or economies. The climate crisis is likely to exacerbate the Problem. The consequences of sea-level rise, for example, threaten to destroy due to increased Erosion of large parts of the sandy beaches on the earth. A study by the Joint research centre of the European Commission, which has just been published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

"Our research shows that almost half of the world's sandy beaches are in danger if we reduce the emission of greenhouse gases drastically," said lead author Mikhail Vousdoukas.

sandy beaches make up one third of the coasts. And they are, as it says in the study, "high socio-economic value": To the beaches Tourist:cavort inside, even the local people also they are like a natural protective strip between the Land and the sea during the floods.

Vousdoukas' research team has for the projection of the changes of sand beaches in the past looked at the satellite images from the period of 1984 to 2015 show

This data served as the basis to calculate the expected changes by 2100 by computer simulations. How strong or weak they are, depends of course on how the world deals with the climate crisis: the temperature Rises on earth in the global average is higher, is also likely to be a larger sea-level rise or stronger Storms – and, in consequence, also with more Erosion on sandy beaches.

Therefore, Vousdoukas and his College have recognised two different scenarios for the IPCC: a pessimistic one with an earth rhitzung of 4.8 degrees by the end of the century compared to pre-industrial times, and a somewhat more moderate, in which the earth is "only" 2.8 degrees has heated up.

Until the end of the century, in the pessimistic scenario, could be gone according to the study, half of the sandy beaches is almost complete. The good news is that climate protection. It creates the humanity, in the fashion scenario, rates remain to, could reduce damage by 40 percent, as stated in the study.

The most threatened regions are the scientists inside, according to the East of North America, in South and West Asia, in Australia, in the Caribbean, but also in Central Europe. Germany, with its flat shores will also be quite severely affected, says Vousdoukas.

Both scenarios above what the States have done with the Paris climate agreement. In it they have promised to limit the earth rhitzung in the case of "well below 2 degrees", and preferably below 1.5 degrees.

In the case of very complex simulations, you have not opted for such a scenario, explains Vousdoukas, because it is currently simply less likely to appear. "The world is miles away from achieving such objectives."

Date Of Update: 03 March 2020, 19:00
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