SYDNEY, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- New research on rising sea levels and global warming published in the Nature Climate Change predicted that extreme sea levels may become 100 times more frequent by the end of the century.
For Australia, a country where the majority of the population lives in close proximity to the coast, these effects could be particularly devastating.
University of Melbourne's Dr. Ebru Kirezci, co-author of the study and an ocean engineering researcher, said that while much of the globe would be impacted by rising sea levels, countries in the southern hemisphere will bear the brunt of the impacts.
"What we can also infer from this study is that most of the eastern, southern and southwestern coastlines of Australia will be impacted with almost an annual frequency of these extreme sea levels by 2100," said Kirezci.
The study, published on Monday, showed that extreme sea level (ESL) events that normally occur once every hundred years could be a yearly occurrence by the end of the century even if warming is limited to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius.
All of Australia's major cities, except the inland capital of Canberra, are positioned along the coast and more than 80 percent of the population are estimated to live in coastal zones.
Kirezci said rising sea levels could force Australians away from the coast.
"Building dykes and sea walls, retreating from shorelines, and deploying early warning systems are some of the steps which can be taken to adapt to this change," said Kirezci.
In addition, ESL events could threaten key infrastructure such as roads, airports and ports that are located in Australia's coastal urban centers.
"Even without the potential effects of climate change on waves and storm surge, sea-level rise alone is expected to lead to increases in coastal flooding and erosion," read the report.
Kirezci hopes the research will convey the sense of urgency to governments and policymakers.
"Public policy makers should take note of these studies and work towards improving coastal protection and mitigation measures."
