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A new study from Rutgers University revealed that sea level rise will have a negative impact on salt marshes across the UK by the end of the year. this century. In addition, if climate change is not mitigated, salt marshes in some areas of England could disappear as early as the year 2040.
Salt marshes, also known as areas coastal wetlands are among the most vulnerable ecosystems on the planet. The research focuses on data from 800 salt marsh soil cores.
The study is unprecedented in the use of geological past salt marsh losses to predict how vulnerable they will be to sea-level rise in the future.
An international team of scientists led by Professor Benjamin Horton found that in the past, rising sea levels resulted in regularly saturated salt marshes across the UK region, wiping out the vegetation that protects marshes from erosion.
Robert E. Kopp is co-author of the Department of Earth Sciences and Planets. to Rutgers-New Brunswick and the director of Rutgers Institute of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Professor Kopp explained: "In 2100, if we continue on a trajectory British salt marshes will face a high risk of loss Reducing emissions greatly increases the likelihood that salt marshes will survive. "
Professor Horton pointed out that salt marshes provide a great deal of opportunity for salt marshes. important ecosystem services.
"They serve as a buffer against coastal storms to protect the continent and filter pollutants, decontaminate our freshwater," said Professor Horton. "We are also losing an important hotspot of biodiversity. Salt marshes are important transitional habitats between the ocean and the land, and a nursery area for fish, crustaceans and insects.
"The point of this article is how quickly we lose them ecologically and economically.
Mangroves in tropical areas such as Singapore are just as vulnerable to sea-level rise as salt marshes.
"What is unknown is the tipping point will cause a disintegration of mangroves in Singapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia," said Professor Horton. "We are currently collecting data to address the future vulnerability of mangroves to sea level rise."
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications .
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By Chrissy Sexton Earth.com Staff Writer
Photo Credit: Matthew Brain
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