For the first time in history, scientists are considering the possibility that Earth could lose its surface soil due to cracking and subsidence.
Climate change is altering our lives in incredibly unimaginable ways, but have you ever thought that it could cause the ground to vanish, leaving humanity with nowhere to shelter?
Scientists investigate subsidence and erosion at the coastline caused by melting permafrost near the Bykovsky Peninsula, Siberia, Russia (Photo: AWI).
A scenario like this is entirely possible, based on the fact that erosion is destroying coastal areas in the Arctic region. The cause is global warming, leading to cracking and subsidence of the land. Scientists believe that this process could endanger critical infrastructure and threaten human safety in the future.
Moreover, this process also releases stored carbon in the soil into the oceans, inadvertently changing the role of the Arctic as a carbon and greenhouse gas reservoir, further contributing to climate change.
By combining geological modeling, scientists at the University of Hamburg (Germany) have for the first time identified the level of “vanishing” of the land at Arctic coastlines. This is considered a breakthrough in research, as previously, science lacked deep insights into the extent of subsidence’s impact on geological plates in the future.
“If greenhouse gas emissions are not controlled and continue to rise, the rate of land subsidence by 2100 could reach about 3 square meters per year, equivalent to millions of tons of carbon being released,” said Dr. David Nielsen, the lead author of the study.
According to Dr. Nielsen, more land area will be lost depending on the ability to control greenhouse effects, as well as the rising temperatures of the Earth.
While affirming that “it will not be possible to completely prevent massive land loss,” the new research still provides crucial information for coastal protection and political and social planning in affected areas.
“Our findings suggest that a shift towards more sustainable practices and significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions could slow the acceleration of subsidence in the latter half of this century,” Dr. Nielsen stated.
