The rise in sea level could threaten salt marshes in the UK by 2100

As greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, sea-level rise is likely to jeopardize valuable salt marshes in the United Kingdom as early as 2100.

, salt marshes from the south and east of England

The study, published in Nature Communications is the first to estimate the vulnerability of salt marshes using geological data of past losses in response to sea-level change.

Scientists have found that sea-level rise in the past resulted in increased salt marsh encroachment in the past. the area, killing vegetation that protects them from erosion. The study is based on data from 800 salt marsh soil cores. Tidal marshes rank among the most vulnerable ecosystems on Earth.

"From here 2100, if we continue on a high-emission trajectory, virtually all British salt marshes will face a high risk of loss. Reducing emissions dramatically increases the chances of survival of salt marshes, "says co-author Robert E. Kopp, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planet Sciences at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and director of the University of New Brunswick. Rutgers Institute of Earth Sciences, the Ocean and the Atmosphere. Kopp led the development of projections of sea-level rise.

"Salt marshes, also called coastal marshes, are important because they provide vital ecosystem services," says Benjamin Horton , former teacher at Rutgers-New Brunswick. "They act as a buffer against coastal storms to protect the mainland and a filter for pollutants to decontaminate our fresh water, and we are losing an important hotspot of biodiversity." Salt marshes are important transitional habitats between 39, ocean and land, and a nursery area for fish, crustaceans and insects, "says Horton

Salt marshes are threatened, but not by lightning storms

. The beginning of this article is the speed with which we are going to lose these ecologically and economically important coastal areas in the 21st century. "

Although the study focuses on the United Kingdom's marshlands, the mangroves" this which is unknown is the tipping point that will cause the disintegration of mangroves in Singapore and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, "explains Horton." We are currently collecting data to address the vulnerability. future of mangroves at sea-level rise. "

Source: Rutgers University