New satellite data shows NZ’s major cities are sinking – meaning rising seas will affect them sooner

Tue, 8 Apr 2025 05:00:38 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/new-satellite-data-shows-nzs-major-cities-are-sinking-meaning-rising-seas-will-affect-them-sooner-252881>

"Rising seas are already affecting coastal communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
On a global average, the sea level is now 18 centimetres higher than it was in
1900, and the annual rate of increase has been accelerating to currently 4.4
millimetres per year.

This may not seem much, but it is already amplifying the impact of storm and
tidal surges. Over the coming decades and centuries, this will pose
increasingly serious problems for all coastal communities.

But this is not the end of our troubles. Some parts of New Zealand’s coastline
are also sinking. In many New Zealand cities, shorelines are steadily
subsiding, with growing impacts on coastal infrastructure.

Our new research reveals where and how fast this is happening. We found the
coastlines near all major cities in New Zealand are sinking a few millimetres
each year, with some of the fastest rates in coastal suburbs of Christchurch,
where the land is still adjusting to the impact of the 2011 earthquake."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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