Discover the mystery of sea level rise

Japanese scientists say large-scale groundwater extraction may have caused sea level rise in the past few decades.

New research shows groundwater exploitation has become a global problem. It is time to be aware that it is also a cause of sea level rise and will make things extremely complicated and unpredictable.

The tide measurement data shows that the global sea level has increased an average of 1.8 mm per year from 1961-2003. The big question is, how does this relate to global warming? According to a 2007 report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the thermal expansion of oceans, melting water from glaciers, glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica is ' The culprit ' made sea level rise by 1.1mm per year; 0.7mm remaining / year for unknown reasons. This is a mystery that many scientists wonder if the data is accurate or it may be because an actor is beyond people's knowledge.

The exploitation of groundwater is an agent causing sea level rise

In a study published in the journal Nature Geoscience , a team of experts at the University of Tokyo said that the answer lies in the amount of water taken from aquifers, rivers and lakes for their development. people and never been filled again. This amount of water will eventually flow into the ocean through river systems and evaporation in the soil.

According to the study conducted based on the computer model, the withdrawal of groundwater is the main additional factor for the above-mentioned 0.7mm difference.'Using unsustainable groundwater, preventing water in artificial reservoirs, changes due to climate impacts on water reserves in the land and the loss of water from closed sinks contributed to 0.77mm surges every year of the sea level from 1961 to 2003, accounting for about 42% of sea level rise , 'experts said.

The Tokyo University study aims to find ways to fill the gap in knowledge in complex science of climate change. Experts admit there are still unknowns about how the oceans respond to global warming, and that one of those reactions is the rise of the sea - the issue is important. survival for hundreds of millions of residents living in coastal areas around the world. Only a small increase, if repeated over the years, could eventually have a huge impact on storm-prone areas, or saline intrusion into aquifers or coastal fields.

In the 2007 assessment report, the IPCC said the oceans would rise 18-59cm by the end of the century. But this estimate does not take into account the melting factor from massive ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica. Meanwhile, another study published in Norway last year showed that on the basis of the current thawing trend, sea level will increase from 90cm - 1.6m in 2100.