The sea levels are rising, and scientists have previously confirmed that melting of the ice is unstoppable. It is foreseen that the Arctic could have ice-free summers by the year of 2050, and if all the ice melts down, ocean levels could rise by up to 60 meters. But it that might take thousands of years for that to happen, and realistic projections state that sea levels could rise from 30 cm to a maximum of one meter by the end of the century.
What would the melting of the ice mean for Europe and the coastal areas that are inhabited by millions of people?
In the southeast of Europe, the sea would spill into the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and it would overflow Odessa and Istanbul, and the Adriatic Sea would expand to the north and destroy Venice, and the Croatian coastal cities would not be spared as well.
“If we are looking the realistic scenario by the end of the century, the hinterland of Zadar and delta of Neretva River are mostly exposed to floods,” said Mirko Prlic from the Institute of Geophysics, the Faculty of Science from Zagreb. He added that this projection of 60 meters is not a realistic scenario when it comes to such a long period because the Earth could be drawn into the new ice age as well, as reported by 24sata.hr.
On the west coast of Italy, the sea level rise would hit Rome, but the sea would swallow Marseille, Barcelona.
Baltic Sea on the north of Europe would sink St. Petersburg and Helsinki, and since half of the Netherlands is already below the sea level, this country might become only historical data, together with Denmark. Cities such as Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam would end up under the sea, and floods would also affect some of the most populous parts of the UK, such as London.
Anyways, if we continue in this direction, hundreds of millions of people who live on European shores will be forced to migrate into the interior of the continent in the future, and the sea might erase some of the oldest cities on the continent.
(Source: fokus.ba)
