The global study, led by researchers at the University of Lincoln, UK, suggests that the future of global coastal wetlands, including tidal marshes and mangroves, could be secured if they were able to migrate further inland.
Geographers examined localized data from around the globe on coastal elevation, tides, sediment availability, coastal population, and estimates of sea level rise to assess whether coastal wetlands are likely to have enough sediment to increase their elevation at the rate sea levels will rise, or whether there is enough space to establish themselves further inland.
The results show there could be global coastal wetland gains of up to 60 per cent if more than a third of the areas had space to move inland. The use of more localized data provides more accurate global results than previous estimates which warned of catastrophic losses of up to 90 per cent -- but scientists say action must be taken now to save coastal wetlands from ever increasing sea levels.
The findings of the study have important implications for the future development of public policies, with the authors calling for an upscale in current efforts for coastal wetland restoration.
Coastal wetlands have a direct impact on global warming levels by helping to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They are also an important form of coastal protection, reducing the energy of waves and the intensity of storm surges, thereby reducing coastal erosion and coastal flooding.
Read more at Global Coastal Wetlands Need to Move Inland in Fight Against Climate Change
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