At the rate of Global Warming When will the Atoll of Maldives vanish from world map?

Answer 1

It's a good question but not one that I can give a precise answer to, the reason being that I don't know just how fast sea levels surrounding the Maldives are rising.

Although it may seem strange, sea-levles are rising at different rates in different parts of the world. There are a few places where sea levels have fallen slightly. Over time these ups and downs tend to average out.

Taking the global view then then present average rate by which sea levels are rising is 3.1mm a year (⅛ inch). It's trebled in the last 100 years and is expected to quadruple in the next 100 years.

The Maldives are very low lying, the highest point being approx 750mm above sea level, this is the same figure by which sea levels globally are expected to rise by 2100.

However, sea levels will not need to rise by 750mm in order to lead to the Maldives vanishing from the world map.

1) As sea levels progressively rise there will be increased erosion leading to loss of land.

2) There will be water ingress undermining the remaining bits of land.

3) Although the Maldives have a very small tidal range, as sea levels rise there will be more frequent over-topping of the land leading to very rapid erosion.

As a consequence of these factors the rate of land-loss will accelerate as the Maldives are 'attracked' from the edges, underneath and on top.

Sorry I can't be more specific but I would suspect that they may well be gone in 50 to 70 years.

Answer 2

It's hard to say because the there is no steady rate of global warming, it keeps accelerating far beyond what the models predicted. On top of all this, we still don't know how the ice sheets will ultimately react. Whether they will just slowly melt away, or after a prolonged period of melt may simply suffer catastropic collapse and go crashing into the sea, effectively raising sea levels immediately.

Putting all this uncertainty aside though, the Maldives could easily be under water by 2050 if we do nothing to halt global warming. There rarely more than three feet above sea level in most places, so there effectively doomed.

Answer 3

when at some places some islands vanish, others rise. See Iceland,, When the coral barrier growth on a more rapid space they form a safety wall.