Climate change: The disappearing Tangier Island

The tiny Tangier Island is just 12 miles from mainland Virginia in Chesapeake Bay. No cars, no trains; the only transportation to Tangier Island is by boat or by small airplane, says the island’s official website.

The Chesapeake Bay is an estuary in the U.S. states of Maryland and Virginia. It is the largest estuary in North America.

In 2010 the island population was 727, now 450. The small community follows the tradition of their forefathers and survives by harvesting crabs and oysters.

According to CNN the island is losing about 4.5 meters of its coastline every year and now the remaining area is about 3.3 sq. Kilometers.

Due to the rising sea level, the rest of the island is supposed to be lost in the next 50 years.

Tangier Island. Image credit: Elaine Meil (Source: Wikipedia)

Tangier Island. Image credit: Elaine Meil (Source: Wikipedia)

A fundraising initive is already on the way to help protect the island from coastal erosion. Trailer of the documentary, “Pieces of Tangier” by Jenny Roberts:

What’s the current rate of sea level rise?

A new study finds the global mean sea level, or the average height of the world’s oceans, has been increasing by 3 millimeters (.1 inches) per year on average. (Source: AGU)

(Visited 39 times, 1 visits today)

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *