The expected sea level rise could have disastrous consequences for the Wadden Sea. The rise can permanently submerge the mudflats. If that happens, everything that depends on those mudflats will disappear.
This is the opinion of Katja Philippart, director of the Wadden Academy, professor at Utrecht University and researcher at NIOZ. Many types of shellfish and worms can be found on the Wadden, which in turn are also food for migratory birds. “For those birds, this area is essential to be able to sustain their long journeys,” says Philippart.
The mudflats can grow with the rise in sea level. The only question is whether growth can keep up with the expected increase.
More threats
From sea level rise is not the only threat to the Wadden. In recent years, heat waves in particular seem to be a problem. In summers with little easterly wind and high temperatures, the tidal flats that have dried up for a longer period of time warm up quickly, resulting in the death of shellfish and less food for animals that depend on them.
In addition, in the increasingly frequent periods of drought, more and more places in the Netherlands are trying to retain water for longer on land. But because the Wadden Sea is also dependent on the supply of fresh water, this is disadvantageous for the nature reserve. “All those projects to retain more water are done with their backs to the Wadden Sea,” says Katja Philippart.
two degrees
Over the past century, the Wadden Sea and the North Sea have become two degrees warmer, adds NOS weather forecaster Peter Kuipers Munneke. “This means that the temperature rise in the Wadden Sea is parallel to the warming over land. However, the Wadden Sea is warming up faster than the seas worldwide average.”
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