Time For A Re-think?

Whilst not strictly a news story about birds the implications of a new map that has been created by scientists at University of Durham will have an unquestionable impact on bird habitats in the North East and the way our conservation organisations manage them.
The 'Coastland Map' published in the Journal 'GSA Today', charts the post Ice-Age tilt of the UK and Ireland and current relative sea-level changes. According to the map, the sinking effect in the south could add between 10 and 33 percent to the projected sea-level rises caused by global warming over the next century.
However interesting and potentially policy changing data for the Northumberland & Durham coastlines indicates that our coasts are rising and will continue to rise at a rate of 0.3-0.5mm per year in coming years.
The Durham team, led by Professor Ian Shennan and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, looked at the relationship of peat, sand and clay sediments that have been uplifted above sea-level or are now submerged below sea level. The team radio-carbon dated samples to see how sediments formed and to calculate changes in sea-levels over thousands of years.
Prof Shennan said: "The rate of uplift north of the River Tyne to Scotland increases because the ice sheets there were thicker and heavier. The action of the Ice Age on our landmass has been like squeezing a sponge which eventually regains its shape. The earth's crust has reacted over thousands of years and is continuing to react.
Now organisations such as Northumberland AONB and Northumberland Wildlife Trust who have managed projects and land on the basis of 'managed or planned managed retreat' in recent years in areas such as the Aln estuary and Druridge Bay may have to re-think their plans. Certainly it will perhaps reduce funding for any such projects as this new research is used to target funding at those areas expected to suffer most from the combined impact of sea level rises and land tilt.
(source)