5 Islands That Are Going To Disappear!

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Scientists outline long-term sea-level rise in response to warming of planet (via Oregon State University)
"A new study estimates that global sea levels will rise about 2.3 meters, or more than seven feet, over the next several thousand years for every degree (Celsius) the planet warms."

Regardless if you call it "global warming" or "climate change", it's been well documented that global temperatures are rising. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that every two-degree Fahrenheit (one-degree Celsius) increase in global temperature translates to a seven-foot increase in sea levels, which is caused not just by melting ice but also from warming oceans (since warm things expand). This isn't just bad news for the environment, but also for many islands which have already started to disappear due to rising sea levels.

Panama's 350 archipelago chains are starting to be lost as sea levels rise. Luckily, Panamanians have mainland Panama to move onto. Kiribati, a 33-island nation in the Pacific with a population of 100,000, is not so lucky: They are already starting to feel the rise in sea levels as seawater has started to creep into fields. Scientists predict that in the entire country will be uninhabitable in as few as 30 years.

The city of Venice, which spreads across 118 islands, has been building an elaborate network of seawalls to hold back the 2-millimeter increase in sea levels they've been witnessing. Other man-made monuments are in danger of being swallowed up by the ocean, too. After Superstorm Sandy, Liberty Island where New York's Statue of Liberty stands, was 75 percent under water and Ellis Island was completely submerged.

How far above sea-level do you live? Do you think these reports are just being alarmist, or have you considered the fact that rising oceans might force you to move in the next thirty years? Let us know in the comments section below!

Read More Rising Seas (via The New York Times)
"The low-lying islands of Kiribati, just a few feet above sea level, are on the front lines of climate change."

Plagued by sea-level rise, Kiribati buys land in Fiji (via Al-Jazeera)
"Pacific island nation estimates it will be completely submerged within 30 years, displacing more than 100,000 people."

Funafuti (via Wikipedia)
"Funafuti is an atoll on which the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu is located."

Will Tuvalu Disappear Beneath the Sea? (via Smithsonian)
"A thin white smile curves across the blank face of the South Pacific Ocean, more than a mile below. A little lower, the whiteness resolves into an arc of breakers, and the tiny turboprop heads straight for them."

Venice Menace: Famed City is Sinking & Tilting (via Live Science)
"Sea-level rise isn't the only thing that has Venice's famous canals rising ever-so-slightly every year: The city is also sinking, a new study shows, in contrast to previous studies that suggested the city's subsidence had stabilized."

10 Treasures We'll Lose as Sea Levels Rise (via How Stuff Works)
"Rising temperatures + melting glaciers = higher seas levels. With those surging waters comes the potential for lower-lying land areas around the globe to be washed out, according to climate scientists."

Will Climate Change Swamp the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (via National Geographic)
"On October 29, 2012, superstorm Sandy barreled toward New York City. Liberty and Ellis Islands, two relatively tiny pieces of land huddled together in the city's harbor, were dangerously exposed."

9 Popular Cities Losing War with Rising Seas (via Discovery News)
"The world's coastal cities are some of the most beautiful, culturally vibrant and heavily populated urban areas."

Sydney Opera House and Statue of Liberty 'will be lost to sea level rise' (via The Guardian)
"Nearly one-fifth of world cultural heritage sites would be affected by global warming of a further 3C, scientists warn."

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