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.