Event |
| |
Quickie Ice-Age 'Meltdown'...
Coral Reef Clue To Fast Sea Rise
Bernard O'Riordan in Sydney
Thursday February 24, 2005
The Guardian
The discovery of ancient mangrove forest remains under the Great Barrier Reef
has cast doubt on some theories about how quickly the sea level rose after the
last ice age.
Most scientists believe it was a gradual rise over the past 9,000 years. But
the existence of relic mangroves 70cm (27in) below the floor of the Barrier
Reef, some with leaves and branches still intact, suggests an abrupt rise.
Dan Alongi, a biologist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science, said it
appeared that sea levels rose about 3 metres in less than 30 years, drowning
forests and flooding estuaries, 20 times faster than previously thought.
"Material was very much intact, it didn't even have time to fully decompose
when it was buried," he said. "So it does tell us that when climate change last
happened it was comparatively quick."
It could indicate how quickly the climate might change today, he said, adding
that a sudden rise in sea level of the same magnitude will cause widespread
damage to coastal areas.
Ocean current modelling suggests that sea levels could rise anywhere from 1cm
to 10cm [1 to 4 inches] per year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
says that the total escalation could be 50-88cm. [20 to 30 inches]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1423853,00.html
|
|