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A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 3 March 2020
Half of world's sandy beaches at risk from climate change

By FRANK JORDANS the study's methods were
BERLIN (AP) — Scientists sound, its claims should be
say that half of the world's treated with caution.
sandy beaches could dis- "There are many assump-
appear by the end of the tions and generalizations
century if climate change that could change the out-
continues unchecked. come of the analysis both
Researchers at the Europe- qualitatively and quanti-
an Union's Joint Research tatively," said Payo, who
Center in Ispra, Italy, used wasn't involved in the study.
satellite images to track However, Vousdoukas said
the way beaches have the amount of beach loss
changed over the past 30 estimated by his team was
years and simulated how in fact "a bit conservative"
global warming might af- and could be higher.
fect them in the future. The group considered two
"What we find is that by the different warming scenar-
end of the century around ios — one in which aver-
half of the beaches in the age global temperatures
world will experience ero- rise by 2.4 degrees Celsius
sion that is more than 100 by the end of the century
meters," said Michalis Vous- and another that predicts
doukas. "It's likely that they In this April 30, 2015 file photo, a man fishes along the receding banks of the Salton Sea near an increase twice as high.
will be lost." Bombay Beach, Calif. The Paris climate accord's
The study, published Mon- Associated Press most ambitious target, of
day in the journal Nature capping warming at 1.5
Climate Change, found world's coastline," more inland dams, which reduce Australia would be hardest- C, wasn't considered be-
that the extent to which than a third of which is the amount of silt flowing hit in terms of total beach cause scientists consider
beaches are at risk de- sandy beach, the authors into oceans that's crucial coastline lost, with over it unlikely to be achieved,
pends on how much aver- wrote. for beach recovery. 12,000 kilometers (7,500 Vousdoukas said.
age global temperatures Beaches are valuable for Some countries will be more miles) at risk. The United The study's authors cal-
increase by the year 2100. recreation, tourism and affected than others, the States, Canada, Mexico, culated that up to 40% of
Greater temperature in- wildlife, while also provid- researchers said. Gambia China, Iran, Argentina and shoreline retreat could be
creases mean more sea ing a natural barrier that and Guinea-Bissau in West Chile would also lose thou- prevented by reducing the
level rise and more violent protects coastal communi- Africa could lose more sands of kilometers (miles) greenhouse gas emissions
storms in some regions, ties from waves and storms. than 60% of their beaches, of beach, according to the that are driving climate
causing more beaches to Many coastal areas, in- while predictions for Iraq, study. change, but said that large
vanish beneath the waves. cluding beaches, are al- Pakistan, the island of Jer- Andres Payo, an expert on and growing populations
"The projected shoreline ready heavily affected sey in the English Channel coastal hazards and resil- living along the coast will
changes will substantially by human activity such as and the Pacific island of ience at the British Geologi- also need to be protected
impact the shape of the seashore construction and Palau are similarly dire. cal Survey, said that while through other measures. q

From Russia, with fruit: Arctic mission

gets record resupply

BERLIN (AP) — A Russian dezvous, the Polarstern ing of climate change.
icebreaker has made a achieved its own record by Melinda Webster, a sea ice
successful supply run to ex- drifting to within 156 kilome- geophysicist at the Universi-
change crew and deliver ters (97 miles) of the North ty of Alaska, Fairbanks, who
goods to an international Pole, the farthest north a is scheduled to join the ex-
expedition that's been ship has ventured during pedition in late March, said
adrift in the high Arctic for the Arctic winter. she plans to measure how
months trying to improve The 140-million euro ($158 the shift from Arctic winter
scientific understanding of million) expedition required to spring affects the way
climate change. the Polarstern anchor to ice absorbs sunlight. This will
In this Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 photo provided by the Alfred-We- Germany's Alfred Wegen- an ice floe last fall and al- help climate scientists un-
gener-Institute the icebreakers Kapitan Dranitysn, front, and Po- er Institute said Monday low the polar drift to carry derstand how much solar
larstern, rear, are pictured in the Arctic ice.
Associated Press that the Kapitan Dranitsyn it to the far north, a region energy the planet's polar
approached its own ice- that's normally inaccessible caps can reflect, and how
breaker RV Polarstern on during the coldest months this will change as the ex-
Friday and spent all week- of the year. Researchers tent of sea ice coverage in
end ferrying people and from 20 countries includ- the Arctic diminishes.
supplies between the ships ing the United States, Brit- "We know that the Arctic
by foot and snowmobile. ain, Russia and China have is changing dramatically,"
The institute said the Dran- been using the ship as a said Webster. Keeping up
itsyn set a record by going base camp to conduct with those changes gives
farther north under its own measurements and experi- scientists a baseline from
power than any other ship ments they hope will boost which to predict how glob-
so early in the year. the scientific models that al warming will affect the
Two days before the ren- underpin their understand- rest of the planet, she said.