Global sea level rises are inevitable, according to international experts speaking at a conference in Auckland today.
But what will that mean, and how bad will it be?
Some perspective:
During the 20th century, the sea rose a total of 20cm. Between now and 2065, scientists are predicting sea levels will rise another 30cm. That may not sound too frightening, but Professor Jonathan Bamber, a world leader in climate research, says it's more alarming than you might realise.
"Round the world, something like 200 million people are at risk of coastal flooding from a sea level rise of a metre. Just to put that in context, at the minute in Europe, we are experiencing a very serious migration crisis, caused by the migration of around 2 million people. It actually may bring down some governments in Europe. So, just multiply that problem by 100 and you get an idea of some of the issues we might face in the next century because of sea level rise."
How will NZ fare?
In New Zealand, 9000 homes are less than 50cm above current high tide levels.
In places like Auckland, where there’s a large gap between high and low tide levels, the average high tide is around 3.0 metres and a large king tide can be around 3.7 metres.
MetService meteorologist Allister Gorman says that if the sea level rises by the projected 30cm, the average high tide will be around 3.7 metres -- enough to swamp low-lying areas like Tamaki Drive under the right conditions. There’s an even greater threat when a king tide rolls in -- that would be around 4.4 metres.
That means homes in some low-lying coastal areas are far more likely to suffer flood damage.
The worst affected areas will be Nelson, Port Taranaki, Westport and Auckland.
Newshub.
