Write An Essay On Climate Change

. Introduction

Climate change, as a result of the shifts in the mean state of the climate or in its variability, has persisted for some time. The earth has warmed and cooled many times since its formation over billions of years ago [1], which may be due to both natural and human induced changes within the atmosphere and in land use. Various factors that influence these changes include volcanic eruptions which ultimately increase carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, changes in the intensity of energy emitted by the sun and variations in the earth’s position relative to the sun both in its orbit and in the inclination of its spin axis [2]. Increasing levels of Greenhouse gas has led to a rise in the earth’s average surface temperature by about 0.7 °C over the past

The most obvious outcome of sea level rise is the permanent inundation of coastal areas. Over time inundation changes the position of the coastline and drowns natural habitats and human structures. Inundation can also exacerbate coastal erosion by transporting submerged sediment offshore and extend the effects of coastal flooding by allowing storm waves to act further inland. Apart from relative sea level rise, other coastal environmental factors also influence inundation. They include sediment availability, beach profile gradient and the geomorphology of the shoreline. Although both coastal inundation and beach erosion hasten shoreline retreat, they are however two distinct processes [26]. Unlike inundation, which drowns land areas, erosion redistributes sediment from the onshore to offshore areas. Sea level rise does not directly erode beaches and coastal areas. Rather, rising sea levels act as a swelling tide that allows waves to act further up the beach profile and permits larger waves to reach the coast [26].

Beach erosion is intensified in areas affected by inlets or where the construction of groins and breakwaters disrupts longshore drift