Forget The Recession, Ireland Is Sinking!

TheGreenGiant

A coastal map created by a university has shown southern Ireland, eastern England and Wales are sinking while Scotland is rising.

The map, produced by scientists from Durham University, charts the post Ice-Age tilt of the UK and Ireland and the changes in sea level this produces.The University of Durham looked at levels of land uplift and subsidence in the British isles since the Ice Age. As the ice retreated 20,000 years ago the release of the enormous weight meant the north slowly tilted up while the south sank down. Scotland is still experiencing this "springboard" effect while southern Ireland, Wales and England continues to sink.

According to the map, the new study shows that land levels could rise by up to 10cm in some areas of Scotland over the next century, offsetting the effects of sea level rise caused by global warming. But in parts of England, where the land is set to sink by up to 5cm over the next century, it could add between 10 to 33 per cent on projected sea level rises caused by global warming over the next century.

Scientists, led by professor Ian Shennan and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, looked at the relationship of peat, sand and clay sediments that have been uplifted above sea-level or are now submerged below sea level.

The team radio-carbon dated samples to see how sediments formed and to calculate changes in sea-levels over thousands of years. Eighty, in the UK and Ireland, were cored and examining sediments in drainage ditches and road excavations, the team found evidence of land rises and falls from the relative elevation of sediments.These results were assessed along with previous studies of sites including the Thames, Humber, Tyne and Tees estuaries, southern England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Professor Shennan said: "The new map shows how the UK and Ireland are responding to the ice sheet compression of the earth's core and the current rate of land tilt across the UK.

"Sea levels 7,000 years ago were some 15metres below the present levels in the Fenland in eastern England, and the levels are still rising.

"The team predicts levels will continue to rise as the land falls, at a rate of 0.4 to 0.7millimetres a year.

"Sea-level rise brings in sediment which is soft and consolidates in coastal areas.

"Sea defences built on soft sediments can suffer additional subsidence due to compaction of the sediments."

"The action of the Ice Age on our landmass has been like squeezing a sponge which eventually regains its shape. The earth's crust has reacted over thousands of years and is continuing to react," he said.

Prof Shennan said the information could now be used, alongside predictions of sea level rises caused by climate change, to help councils and other bodies protect vulnerable areas like coastland.

"Subsidence and rising sea levels will have implications for people and habitats, and will require action to manage resorts, industrial sites, ports, beaches, salt marshes and wetlands, wildlife and bird migrations," he said.

:: Areas of falling land and rising sea levels:

Somerset, Cornwall and Devon

Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex

Kent and Essex

Suffolk and Norfolk

The Wash

Humberside and North Lincolnshire

Shetland Islands.

South Wales

Southern Ireland

Western Ireland

:: Areas with little land-level change:

North Yorkshire; Cleveland

Mid Wales

:: Areas of rising land levels include:

Tyne and Wear

Northumberland coast, Berwickshire, East Lothian,

The Firth of Forth and the Moray Forth

Fife, Aberdeenshire, Caithness

Minch and the Western Isles

Argyll, Ayrshire and the Solway Firth

Northern Irish coast

Isle of Man

Cumbria, Lancashire and Merseyside

North Wales

gar32

NOt many people reading your tread but seem things of late are going like you said they will. Can you post a link to map please? Would like to know if I need to move soon ?

Regards