Rising sea levels contaminate soil with salt and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of coastal farmers, as the changing climate accelerates the intrusion of seawater into once-fertile land.
Scientists in Amsterdam have developed a tool to help farmers adapt to these threats of coastal land loss and saltwater contamination.
What's happening?
Rising sea levels can impact water supplies on agricultural land. As the sea level increases, salt water can spread into fresh water sources, contaminating both soil and water.
A research group from the Institute for Environmental Sciences (IVM) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam revealed their DYNAMO-M at the EGU General Assembly 2025 gathering. The tool uses decision-making models to present choices to users.
Kushagra Pandey, the lead researcher of the study, said, "Rising seas are forcing a decision: stay, adapt, or migrate."
The tool can address 23 major crops up through the year 2080 throughout the globe. As the European Geosciences Union highlighted, via Phys.org, "DYNAMO-M identifies hotspots of future migration, with vulnerable coastal regions in Florida, New York, Oregon, Japan, China, the Philippines, and Italy likely to see major shifts in population and land use."
Why is sea level rise important?
Sea level rise is a critical climate issue.
When farmers lose fertile soil to salt contamination, we lose valuable input into the global food supply. Fewer crops means decreased income for farmers and higher food prices for everyone else.
Rising sea levels will also incur great costs on coastal cities around the world. In order to adapt to new water levels, cities will have to build infrastructure to prevent flooding, and property owners will need to insure or protect their property from severe weather events.
Losing coastline also removes land that humans and animals live on. Animals will be displaced, forcing them into habitats that may be inhospitable for them. Animals and plants that cannot adapt to these changes may go extinct.
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Never 👎 What's being done about sea level rise?
While some opponents of the idea of a changing climate cite the Earth's heating and cooling cycles as natural, most scientists agree that our current climate crisis is not a natural cycle. Human actions are fueling a rapidly warming climate with ripple effects into sea level rise, extreme weather, and other issues.
One way to reduce the heat-trapping pollution that is warming our planet is to invest in renewable energy sources. Installing solar panels at home can reduce your reliance on dirty energy, and adding a battery system can help make your home more resilient against extreme weather events.
These upgrades can also bring your cost of energy down. EnergySage can help get you started on your solar installation project with a free tool to connect you with local installers.
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