A groundbreaking discovery from fossilized corals in the Indian Ocean’s Seychelles islands is sending shockwaves through the scientific community. The findings suggest that sea levels could rise even more steeply than previously thought, posing a significant threat to coastal communities worldwide.

Researchers led by University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Andrea Dutton and her team at the University of Florida analyzed fossilized corals from various elevations on the islands. By dating the fossils and examining the sediments around them, they gathered crucial insights into past sea levels. The results, published in Science Advances, confirm that global peak sea levels occurred between 122 and 123,000 years ago – a period known as the Last Interglacial.

During this time, global temperatures were remarkably similar to those of today. However, the researchers discovered three distinct periods of sudden and sharp sea-level rise over the 6,000 years leading up to peak sea levels. These abrupt pulses of sea-level rise were punctuated by periods of falling seas, pointing to times when polar ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica were changing rapidly.

“This is not good news for us as we head into the future,” says Dutton. “The potential for this very rapid, dynamic change in both ice sheet volume and sea level change is hugely important for coastal planners, policy makers, and those in the business of risk management.”

One of these sharp pulses of sea-level rise occurred at about the same time that the last remnants of a massive ice sheet in North America were likely collapsing. While there’s no large North American ice sheet today, Dutton says this finding has important implications for understanding the dynamics of other present-day ice sheets.

The researchers made another sobering observation: One of the sea-level rises they identified occurred at about the same time that the last remnants of a massive ice sheet in North America were likely collapsing. While there’s no large North American ice sheet today, Dutton says this finding has important implications for understanding the dynamics of other present-day ice sheets.

The study suggests that sea levels could rise up to 10 meters globally, just based on the amount of warming that has already occurred. However, Dutton emphasizes that society can blunt the impact of climate change on sea levels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and implementing policies to mitigate its effects.

“We could be looking at upward of 10 meters of global average sea-level rise in the future,” she says. “The more we do to draw down our greenhouse gas emissions, and the faster we do so, could prevent the worst scenarios from becoming our lived reality.”

The European Alps, known for their breathtaking beauty and harsh weather conditions, are expected to become even more treacherous in the years to come. A recent study by scientists at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the University of Padova has found that climate change is supercharging summer storms in the region, leading to an increased risk of flash floods.

The researchers analyzed data from nearly 300 weather stations across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, and Italy. They discovered that a 2°C rise in regional temperature could double the frequency of short-lived summer rainstorms, making them more intense and destructive.

One such extreme event occurred in June 2018, when the city of Lausanne experienced an intense rainfall episode, with 41 millimeters of precipitation falling in just 10 minutes. The resulting flood caused estimated damage of 32 million Swiss Francs and left a trail of destruction in its wake.

These short-lived events are still rare in Switzerland today but are likely to become more frequent as the climate warms. Warm air retains more moisture, intensifying thunderstorm activity, and the Alpine region is warming faster than the global average. This makes it particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

The scientists developed a statistical model incorporating physics principles to establish a link between temperature and rainfall frequency. They then used regional climate projections to simulate the future frequency of extreme precipitation events.

Their results show that an increase of just 1°C would already be highly problematic, with sudden and massive arrival of large volumes of water triggering flash floods and debris flows. This can lead to infrastructure damage and casualties, making it essential to understand how these events may evolve with climate change.

“We need to plan appropriate adaptation strategies, such as improving urban drainage infrastructure where necessary,” warns Nadav Peleg, researcher at UNIL and first author of the study.

Francesco Marra, researcher at UNIPD and one of the main authors of the study adds: “An increase of 1°C is not hypothetical; it’s likely to occur in the coming decades. We are already witnessing a tendency for summer storms to intensify, and this trend is only expected to worsen in the years ahead.”

The findings of this study should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers and residents of the Alpine region to take action now and prepare for the increased risk of flash floods brought about by climate change.

The Hidden Carbon Giants: Satellite Data Reveals a 40-Year Arctic Peatland Surge

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery about the Arctic region’s peatlands. Using satellite data, drones, and on-the-ground observations, researchers have found that these carbon-rich ecosystems have expanded significantly over the past 40 years. This expansion is largely attributed to the warming climate, which has improved growing conditions for plants in the Arctic.

Peatlands cover only 3% of the Earth’s surface but store about 600 billion tons of carbon – more than all the world’s forest biomass combined. The Arctic has large peatland areas, but they tend to dwindle towards the far north, where harsh conditions limit plant growth. In this study, researchers examined 16 sites across both low and high Arctic regions, comparing data from 1985-95 with the last 15-20 years.

The findings suggest that Arctic peatlands are expanding at more than two-thirds of the studied sites, with the largest changes observed in areas with the highest increases in summer temperature. The research team, led by the University of Exeter, used satellite data and ground-based observations to identify these trends.

While this discovery provides some positive news about the potential for Arctic peatlands to act as a natural carbon sink, the researchers caution that extreme future warming could cause widespread loss of peatlands – releasing stored carbon and further accelerating climate change.

“We know from paleo records that warmer periods in Earth’s history led to more carbon being stored in peatlands,” said Dr. Katherine Crichton. “Our new study puts these pieces together to examine whether our warming climate is causing peatland expansion – and we find strong evidence that it is.”

The research team, comprising scientists from the University of Exeter and other institutions, conducted extensive fieldwork and lab work over several years. Their findings were published in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.

As the researchers continue to study these carbon-rich ecosystems, they emphasize the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and stabilizing the climate to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of Arctic peatlands.