• Question: Which is worse, water levels increasing or decreasing

    Asked by 🍰 46map to Philip, Maxime, Jake, Ann, Annette, Amy Heather on 12 Nov 2019. This question was also asked by JoeyDman.
    • Photo: Maxime Savatier

      Maxime Savatier answered on 12 Nov 2019: last edited 12 Nov 2019 5:55 pm

      Increasing sea levels are more difficult to handle probably. Our cities on the coasts become more likely to be flooded during storms, or may even have to be moved in part somewhere else. If the sea level was going down instead, we may have problems too, like more difficult transport of goods to harbours etc… but we could for instance build on the space left free from the sea?

    • Photo: Ann Reen

      Ann Reen answered on 12 Nov 2019:

      I think both are probably equally bad. If sea water levels increase then this can result in cities like Cork being submerged (covered by sea water) . However if temperatures rise & water levels drop then lakes will dry up & possibly rivers & this would impact on drinking water supply for the human race & all the aquatic life that lives in the rivers & lakes.

    • Photo: Philip Schuler

      Philip Schuler answered on 13 Nov 2019:

      If you live in a water-scare region of the world, you’ll be usually delighted to see any water level (except the sea) rising, e.g. within your well or a nearby river.
      However, if you’re living, for example, in the west of Ireland, you might be concerned if water levels in the underground or in turloughs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turlough_(lake)) rise becasue areas, properties or roads may become flooded.
      Water can be a curse as well as a blessing, depends on your perspective.

    • Photo: Amy Heather Fitzpatrick

      Amy Heather Fitzpatrick answered on 14 Nov 2019:

      I would vote for the water levels rising is worse as this indicates accelerating climate breakdown and means that the polar ice caps and glacier stores of fresh water have melted. With a reduction in the polar ice caps and glaciers, less of the sun’s light will be reflected. Greater amounts of freshwater will flood saline and brackish water environments, reducing the amount of algae we have our oceans that also help to trap carbon and produce oxygen.

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