Study shows tropical regions more exposed to heat waves associated with rising sea levels

This research is critical to improving our understanding of how CHWESL events develop (representative)

New Delhi:

New research shows that heat waves accompanied by short-term extreme sea level rise increased significantly in coastal areas around the world between 1998 and 2017, with a “significant increase” in the tropics.

The researchers speculate that hot and humid conditions in the tropics may be linked to an increase in coincident heat waves and sea level extremes (CHWESL) events, as these regions have also been found to be at higher risk of such events.

If global carbon emissions continue at their current pace, such an event could be five times more likely by 2049, they said.

People living on low-lying tropical islands such as the Caribbean, Pacific and Southeast Asia are “more likely” to be harmed by CHWESL events because these developing regions have lower incomes and lack adaptation strategies, the authors write in the journal Communications, Earth & Environment stated in published research.

The authors from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in China said these countries also contribute significantly to the global population, of which 40% (3 billion) are estimated to live in these regions, which are “hotspots” of CHWESL activity.

The authors say this could further increase exposure risk and make communities in these areas more vulnerable to CHWESL events.

Their results show that nearly 40% of the world’s coastal areas have experienced more CHEWSL events in the past 20 years, with each event lasting more than 3.5 days on average.

The authors also found that the likelihood of such a CHWESL event could increase fivefold between 2025 and 2049 if current carbon emissions trends continue unabated.

During the same period, coastal areas around the world were likely to experience about 38 days of CHWESL conditions per year, an increase of 31 days over the historical period from 1989 to 2013, the authors said.

They say the research is crucial to deepening our understanding of how CHWESL events develop along coastlines around the world, and the findings demonstrate an “urgent need” to provide adaptation strategies for CHWESL events in the tropics.

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