The sea level rise in the capital is “faster than expected”.
New research from Maynooth University on sea level trends in Dublin Bay over eight decades has confirmed elevated rates of sea level rise in recent years.
Led by the Hamilton Institute and ICARUS Climate Research Centre at the university, the analysis saw researchers generate an updated sea level dataset for the capital stretching from 1938 to 2016.
According to Maynooth University, the trend shown in the data overall corresponds to an estimated sea level rise between 1953 and 2016 of 1.1 mm per year in Dublin.
“Fluctuations are identified with sea levels rising from 1982 to 1988, before falling from 1989 to 1996, and once again rising from 1997 to 2016 at a rate of 7 mm per year,” lead author of the research Amin Shoari Nejad said in a statement.
“This recent sea level rise is faster than expected at approximately double the rate of global sea level rise.”
Dr Gerard McCarthy of ICARUS Climate Research Centre and the Department of Geography at Maynooth University stated that if one looks at too short of a timeframe, the fluctuations over decades could impact trend estimates.
“But this research has taken a longer view and what we are most confident about from looking at the stretch of years is the overall rise,” he added.
The analysis was published in the scientific journal Ocean Science as researchers at Maynooth, in collaboration with colleagues at UCC and DCU, continue to explore the reasons behind such fluctuations.
Last year, a climate lecturer at NUI Galway stated he “wouldn’t buy a house close to sea level” due to Ireland’s rising sea levels.
Speaking about the effects of sea levels rising on RTÉ’s News at One, Gordon Bromley said the “most logical scenarios” show that more water in the oceans, coupled with high tides and more intense and frequent storms, will mean “a lot more coastal flooding”.
Asked if people living near the sea will have to start thinking about whether where they live is viable, Bromley replied: “Yes absolutely… I wouldn’t buy a house close to sea level.
“I feel that if we had been listening to the science sooner maybe… we wouldn’t allow the buying and selling of land for housing or for whatever kind of construction really close to sea level.”
Main image via Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie
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