According to estimates from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), By the year 2100, a rise in sea level of between 43 and 84 centimeters is expected.. However, the possibility of an increase of up to 2 meters is not ruled out. This situation would endanger numerous communities along the Gulf of Mexico.
Projections by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggest that even with a sea level rise of about 1 meter, cities like Houston, Galveston and Port Isabel would experience the recession of their coastlines.
Nueces Bay, near Corpus Christi, would extend inland, while areas like Vanderbilt and Jackson County would see lakes become part of the Gulf of Mexico, expanding Lavaca Bay.
Additionally, landmarks such as the Anáhuac National Wildlife Refuge would disappear beneath the waters of East Bay, and Surfside Beach would become a sandbar.
Even major cities like Galveston would undergo drastic transformations, with significant portions of its urban area submerged, including historic sites such as the Galveston County Historical Museum and The Strand Historic District.
What do scientists expect with climate change?
In accordance with NewsweekProfessor David Thornalley, an expert in ocean and climate sciences at University College London, warns that these Projections for the year 2100 are only part of the picture.
The potential impacts of significant sea level rise are concerning. If all the world's ice sheets were to melt, predictions suggest that coastal cities like Miami, New Orleans and New York would suffer catastrophic flooding.
In the case of Texas, Houston is projected to become part of an expanded Gulf of Mexico, while other coastal areas would face irreversible changes.
Local authorities and climate change experts emphasize the importance of taking mitigation and adaptation measures to face this crisis. Concrete policies and actions are needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare communities for the inevitable impacts of climate change in coastal areas of Texas and around the world.
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