Worrying sea level rise

Confirmation that sealevel rise in Dublin is occurring faster than predicted in climate models is profoundly worrying.

Every coastal area faces decades of unrelenting sea-level rise due to global warming, but in Dublin over recent years it has been happening at around double the rate of global sealevel rise, according to scientists at Maynooth University. They warn local factors need to be identified urgently to ensure Dublin is adequately prepared for inevitable sea-level rise due to global warming.

The scientists base their findings on an updated sea-level dataset for Dublin stretching from 1938 to 2016. The additional sea-level rise occurring in Dublin and Cork – confirmed in a

2021 study – is coming on top of inevitable global sea-level rise driven by human-induced climate change. The researchers note the most likely scenario from the latter is a rise of up to 1m by 2150.

In Dublin’s case, land reclamation may be a factor, while in the southern capital it may be due to subsidence in Cork harbour due to man-made or natural impacts, or ‘‘a hangover from the last Ice Age’’.

Most Irish cities are coastal, with 40% of the population living within 5km of the coast. Recent flooding events reinforce the need to fully understand how sea levels are changing around Ireland with the biggest cities being most at risk.