According to a study published on Monday (25) by the NSIDC (United States National Snow and Ice Data Center), ice melting in Antarctica has reached the highest level since 1979, which could lead to sea level rise and impacts on the Santa Catarina coast Problem that has been discussed for years.
Marine advances on Daniela beach Photo: Anderson Coelho/Arquivo/ND
According to the agency, the ice reached a maximum extent of 16.9 million square kilometers, a record for the smallest extent in 44 years.
UFSC (Federal University of Santa Catarina) geosciences professor Norberto Horn Filho analyzes that meltwater can particularly affect the regions of the southern hemisphere near Antarctica.
“From the perspective of coastal geology, which is my specialty, melting ice could lead to a direct rise in average water levels in the Southern Ocean and indirectly in the other three oceans: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean,” explained Horn.
According to the professor, the melting of the ice causes the sea to advance across the continent.
“The retreat of glaciers and the associated advance of the sea lead to a phenomenon called marine transgression, the first consequence of which on the continents is coastal erosion,” he warns.
New study reinforces old warning for coastal South Carolina
The research published by NSIDC supports other studies of sea level rise on the South Carolina coast. By 2050, at least 22 cities in the state could be affected by rising waters, according to the forecast of an analysis cited at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25) held in Madrid, Spain, in 2019.
Click here to browse the map of projected flood areas in Santa Catarina in 2050
The study in question comes from the NGO Climate Central and was published in the journal Nature Communications. The projection was created by combining research on the effects of climate change with a highresolution mapping system that integrates bathymetry data (measuring the depth of the oceans) and topography (features present on the surface of an area).
The organization, founded by scientists and researchers from several countries, says the tide will rise between 0.6 centimeters and 2.1 meters by 2100 and “swallow” coastal cities.
In Brazil, the total population at risk is 1 million citizens. However, these figures do not take into account tidal protection projects already underway or implemented in the future that can reduce the damage.
Extrapolated to 2050 under the “moderate pollution” scenario, which consists of a gradual increase in Earth’s temperature of up to 2°C by the end of the century.
The search provides an interactive map that allows navigation through all countries in the world. Filters allow you to select the desired scenario for the projection, including the future year and the context of pollution to which the planet is exposed. Areas marked in red indicate flooded areas. More than 60 surveys were used to create the study.
In Florianópolis, the north of the island may be one of the areas most affected by sea level rise Photo: Climate Central/Reproduction/ND
In this context, in 30 years, the municipalities in Santa Catarina most at risk of degradation are: Joinville and São Francisco do Sul (North), Itajaí, Navegantes and Balneário Camboriú (Vale), Tijucas (Grande Florianópolis), Tubarão and Jaguaruna (South ).
In Florianópolis, the most affected places although smaller compared to other municipalities in the state are Daniela, Ribeirão da Ilha, Ponta das Canas, Praia Brava, Jurerê Tradicional, Costeira do Pirajubaé, Tapera, Solidão and Naufragados.