Climate Change

The science of tectonics is linked to climate change and sea-level rise in the most unexpected ways. When an earthquake occurs, for example, a tectonic fault ruptures and causes short-term deformations, such as vertical land motion – a shift in the earth that influences sea-level rise by literally raising or lowering the seabed – it forms a link to climate change that is not immediately apparent.

The past sea levels of the Holocene period can be reconstructed via the use of paleo-proxies, including the use of mangrove sediments, which contain organic materials that can be carbon-dated and serve as age markers.

Underground sediments can serve as geological libraries that offer a glimpse into past environments such as bygone mangrove ecosystems and shorelines.

Did you know that the coral reefs of Southeast Asia account for a third of the world total? Spanning an area of 100,000 km2, these reefs are rich in biodiversity and provide critical services to coastal communities, including fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection.

Earthquakes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions and floods are some of the hazards we live with. But we can lessen the impacts of these hazards on our lives and livelihoods by following Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) strategies.

A recent study found that the Earth has lost a staggering 28 trillion tonnes of ice between 1994 and 2017. The scientists commented in a related news article that the melting of glaciers and ice sheets could cause sea levels to rise by as much as a metre by the end of this century.

In the video above, Professor Benjamin Horton, Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, shares his thoughts on the topic of climate and sea-level rise in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s 2019 National Day Rally (NDR) speech.