A climate research center in New Jersey is at increasing risk of being swallowed by rising sea levels.
What's happening?
Built in 1937, the Rutgers University Marine Field Station was originally constructed for the U.S. Coast Guard. As Phys.org detailed, the university took over the building in 1972 to house its Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences.
To reach the building, students and professors need to cross a five-mile road through tidal marshes that is often flooded. Even when conditions are favorable, so-called "sunny flooding" remains an issue, with high tides pushing water into low-lying areas.
Caused by rising water levels, this would happen about once a year in the 1950s. Between 2007 and 2016, that became eight times a year. If sea-level rise continues at its predicted rate, there's a 50% chance the road could be inaccessible 150 times a year by 2050.
With that, the station itself is also at risk. It sits in a valuable spot for research because of its clear waters and exposure to the sea, allowing for the study of marine life and a unique glimpse of the impact of rising water levels. But, if planet-warming pollution continues to increase global temperatures and thus exacerbates rising sea levels, it could soon be lost to the waves.
"We're losing our marshes, and that's very obvious," Ken Able, Rutgers professor and former station director, told Phys.org. "We've lost 140 feet at the edge of the marsh channel, and it's getting closer to the station all the time."
Why is this concerning?
In addition to potentially losing a building that has proved valuable for research and education, the danger the facility is in shows how sea-level rise is putting coastal areas in New Jersey — and throughout the United States — at risk.
According to Phys.org, there has been 8.2 inches of sea-level rise in the state over the last four decades. It's said the level is twice the global average, and it's made more pronounced by the loss of land through sinking, caused by groundwater withdrawal and natural events.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released an interactive map detailing areas of the U.S. most at risk from rising sea levels, with Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama joining the states along the East and West Coasts.
What can be done to slow the rate of rising sea levels?
According to NOAA, rising water levels are mostly down to two key factors related to increasing global temperatures. Warmer weather is leading ice caps and ice sheets to melt at a faster rate, which increases the volume of water in our seas and oceans. Furthermore, seawater expands as it gets hotter, increasing the rate of rising sea levels.
With that in mind, dramatically cutting human-caused pollution that traps heat in the atmosphere is essential. Global governments need to put harsher punishments in place for excessive polluting actions, and big businesses and energy providers need to do more to operate sustainably.
But personal changes can make a big difference too, not least because they can encourage friends and family to take similar action.
Sharing recipes for plant-based meals, providing advice for using local public transport, and detailing the benefits of switching to sustainable power — such as reduced reliance on the grid and lower energy bills — can make a big difference.
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