Measures against rising sea levels a must: Expert

ISTANBUL

The water level in the Marmara Sea will rise by 50 centimeters by 2050, a professor warns, urging to take serious measures after 2050.

As effects of global warming, climate change, drought and excessive rainfall show themselves more and more with each passing year, experts point out that the melting of the polar ice caps affects the water levels in the oceans and the ecosystem.

Speaking on the subject, Prof. Dr. Levent Kurnaz, director of Boğaziçi University Climate Policy Research Center, said that melting glaciers will lead to a sea level rise of at least 1 meter by the end of this century.

Kurnaz noted that in 2050, there will be a rise of at least 50 centimeters in the Marmara Sea and this fact should make everyone who lives at an altitude very close to sea levels a little uneasy.

“We are not only talking about mansions on the Bosphorus. For example, the left-hand exit of the Kadıköy Metro is almost 2 feet above sea level. In a bad lodos storm, it could fill with water,” Kurnaz said.

Stressing that by 2050, the mansions on the Bosphorus shore will have been flooded several times, Kurnaz pointed out that it might not reach a catastrophic level.

Suggesting a temporary solution on the issue, Kurnaz added that some properties can be saved by building a 50-centimeter wall on the seashore until 2050, but critical measures must be taken after that time.

Kurnaz stated that in historical places like Dolmabahçe Palace and Çırağan Palace, a 2-meter wall around the structures can protect them against many problems caused by the relatively high sea levels, yet it would be extremely challenging to build a high wall around the entire Bosphorus.

Referring to the fact that the rise in sea levels will not only affect the Marmara Region, Kurnaz said that there will be much more serious problems around the great plains in Türkiye such as the Büyük Menderes and the Çarşamba Plain.