According to scientists, the role of the construction of large-scale hydro dames is surprising in limiting rising seas.
Strange Statement
Melting glaciers, due to climate change, and the thermal expansion of seawater has caused that ocean level rise over the past century. In new research, scientists show that hydro dams almost stopped sea level rise in the 1970s. They prevented the amount of water from coming into the oceans. Without the hydro dams, the annual surge of water would be 12 percent higher.
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Hydro Dams Limit Sea Level Rise
It is difficult for researchers to measure how much seas have risen in the last century. Researchers discovered that there is a difference between how much water came into the ocean and how many of these oceans actually had increased.
In this new study, scientists wanted to have a more accurate estimation, so they have revisited all the information known about rising seas.
Melting glaciers and thermal expansion of seas had an influence on the rising sea level, but they also discovered the role of storage facilities, like dams and reservoirs, on sea level.
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Hydro Dams: A Building Boom
There are around 58,000 enormous dams in the world but mostly build in the last 60 years. A building boom of these dams was constructed in the 1950s to 1970s, such as the ones in Zimbabwe, Siberia, and Egypt.
These giant dams are the reason sea level did not rise as much as expected. By building dams, sea level stopped from rising for almost a decade.
The enormous rise of water is due to the melting glaciers. They reacted faster to a warmer earth. The authors of the study believe sea level would be around 12 percent higher without these reservoirs and dams.
People were concerned that building hydro dams could be a significant impact on the environment, so the number of projects began to decline. But at the same time, climate change ensured sea level rising and thermal expansion of water because more heat energy going into the oceans. All these elements have contributed to an acceleration in sea-level rise over the past 30 years, which is now 3.35 mm per year.
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Sea Level Rise Limited By Hydro Dams
Is there a possibility to do a project on dams in the world to save the rising sea levels? Earlier this year, a team of researchers presented a document that shows how to prevent the worse impacts of rising seas by building enormous hydro dams across the North Sea. But not everybody thinks this would help. According to Dr. Thomas Frederikse says sea level still rises. "We can slow it down with 0.8 mm per year."
Frederikse says that we have to build too many dams to stop the current rise of sea level. "I think that is impossible." According to him, it is better to concentrate on reducing CO2-emissions.
Cover photo by Jani Brumat
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