En-en adult card 33 marine submersion
Card #33: Marine Submersion
Cyclones and other extreme weather events bring strong winds, waves and low pressure conditions. A 1-hPa (hectopascal) drop in atmospheric pressure causes a 1-cm sea level rise. Therefore cyclones can cause marine submersions (coastal flooding), on top of the sea level rise already caused by global warming.
Not to be confused with floods. Marine submersion is seawater or ocean water rising. This rise can be exceptional because of extreme weather events, or permanent because of rising water levels.
- Freshwater resources If seawater rises, it can penetrate the water tables, which are freshwater reserves.
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Examples of events
The Maldives and the capital Malé are already struggling to meet the challenges of submersion: the island is committed to achieving carbon neutrality, as are the Marshall Islands, whose properties are threatened every year because of a drought in 2013 and rising water levels that endanger food security. The "Pacific Small Island Developing States" PSIDS (Fiji, Marshall, Micronesia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, etc.) are collectively positioning themselves to analyse the risks linked to climate change.