WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Government-backed data amassed from around the country’s coastline found some areas are already sinking three to four millimetres per year, speeding up a long-expected threat.
NZ SeaRise co-leader Tim Naish, a professor at Wellington’s Victoria University, said while the global sea level is expected to rise about half a metre by 2100, for substantial parts of New Zealand it could be closer to a metre because the land is sinking at the same time. “We have less time to act,” Naish said. “You are going to see the impacts of quite damaging sea level rise much sooner than we thought. Roads and properties will be inundated.Data shows the southeast coastline of the more-populated North Island is the most exposed, but numerous seaside communities and towns will be hit.
NZ SeaRise has developed an online tool to let residents and authorities check forecasts for their own stretch of coast — allowing them to assess the risk of flooding and erosion.“If you’re a council representative or you’re a developer, or you’re a decisions maker in the coastal areas of New Zealand you need to start thinking right now what the plan is for adapting to that sea-level rise.”