It seems that in the last few years you can’t read the news without seeing beaches, parks or homes in many Canadian cities being flooded. Canada’s coastlines are rising at a very quick rate, leaving many Canadians worried and unsure of what to do. It is important to know what is causing the rising shorelines to better understand how we as Canadians, and global citizens, can help prevent the damage being caused to our surrounding environment.
What is Causing the Rising Sea Levels?
Long
story short, the main cause of the increasing rise of shorelines in
and Canada and all over the world is rapid climate change. It’s no
secret that climate change has been a critical issue for many years
now, and the recent rising of sea levels exemplifies this. It seems
that as much as half
of the cause of the rising sea levels is due to the influx of
greenhouse gases warming the earth. Through pollution and toxic
emissions, the
greenhouse gas effect has made our planet a good deal warmer.
As an aftermath of the warming of the Earth, thermal
expansion is created, which
is essentially the expanding
of water molecules because of increased heat.
Not
only this, but intense warming of the Earth is also causing glaciers
and ice sheets in many parts of Canada and all over the world to melt
much quicker, causing more
water to occupy the oceans, and thus water levels to rise. With no
place for all of that water to escape to, this could result in
flooding to surrounding areas, such as beaches or parks. It is
predicted that if we do not do something about the rising greenhouse
gas effect and the increasing warming of the Earth, eventually all
of the glaciers and ice sheets
will be subjected to melting.
Rising
sea levels are also a product of natural factors such as storms,
hurricanes and typhoons.
These provide pressure through strong winds which creates a storm
surge of piled up water onto the coasts.
All of these factors combined could explain the recent increase in
rising coastlines not only in Canada, but globally.
Where
in Canada is Most Effected?
Due
to the rise in sea levels, Canada’s most affected area will be
those that lie on the coastlines of the region. Particularly, this
refers to Atlantic
Canada and provinces such as
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland
and Labrador. Due to this, the Maritime provinces are
projected to receive the
most amount of flooding and coastline erosion, which will reach
higher
than the global average due
to the close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. As well, provinces
bordering the West
Coast, such as BC, are
greatly affected due to the adjacent Pacific
Ocean. In addition to
coastline proximity, the rate of changing wind,
air pressure, and currents
in particular regions also alter rise in sea levels. With coastal
cities being the most influenced by rising sea levels, they have the
biggest risk of
potentially disappearing in the next century.
On
a more local scale, recently many parts of Windsor-Essex County are
feeling the ramifications of rising water levels from surrounding
lakes. Lake Superior is creating
outflows of water into Lake
Erie and Lake St. Clair, causing higher than normal shorelines for
towns like Lakeshore, Ontario. Windsor-Essex has been reporting
record
high lake and river levels
and is estimated to rise
even higher in the coming
months. The region has been struck with increased flooding and
shoreline
eroding, yet with outdated
mapping tools it has been
difficult for the Essex Region Conservation Authority to predict
flooding patterns for the future.
What
is the Severity of the Rise in Sea Levels?
It
seems that as of late sea levels in Canada having been rising quicker
and higher than those of decades past. The
Environment and Climate Change Department
reports that those levels could be between one and four and a half
millimetres per year. Likewise, a similar report discusses how
Canada’s water levels are rising about three
millimetres per year, and
will probably reach about one
metre at the end of the century.
We
know that a significant factor in the rising coastlines is the
warming of the Earth and melting of the world’s glaciers. This
contributes quite a bit to the severity of the rising sea levels
globally. For example, glacier melting in Iceland
would increasing seal levels by about seven
metres and melting
in Antarctica would increase by about fifty six metres.
So, although a mere few millimetres of water might not seem like a
huge concern, the melting of glaciers all over the globe could vastly
increase depending on the trajectory of climate change. And indeed,
it is projected to increase. By 2100, see levels are expected to rise
from twenty-eight
to ninety-eight centimetres!
The
massive increase in the rise of sea levels in coastal areas in Canada
and all over the planet is due to the greenhouse emissions humans
have created resulting in climate change. With the emissions being
released at such an accelerated rate, this means glaciers are also
melting at a quicker
rate than expected. Although
we can do our part to reduce these emissions, it might not be
possible to reverse the increasing sea level. However, if greenhouse
gas emissions do decrease, it is possible that the degree
at which the coastlines rise
could be minimized.
One thing Is for sure, if we don’t do our part to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, glacier melting, and massive flooding crisis occurring at this present time, there could be serious damage that occurs to the country. Rising seal levels could potentially cause damage to the natural ecosystem and existing infrastructure that may not be able to be repaired. In addition to the work we can do, better resources should be put in place to accurately track the rate of rising sea levels to better predict precautions we can take. Please share with us if you have seen any sea level changes in your area.