What does global warming mean for the future of the Mediterranean coast? Find the answer on a map, with a simulation of rising sea levels in the French Mediterranean.
Rising sea levels in the Mediterranean
The Mediterranean in mainland France is 900 kilometres of coastline, from the Alps to the Pyrenees, from Italy to Spain, with a higher risk zone in the Camargue and Languedoc.
Two regions are involved, Occitanie and Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, plus the 688 kilometres of Corsica.
According to a recent study on the sources of changes in sea level since 1960 published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, water levels in the Mediterranean basin have been rising since 1989, at an average rate of 3.6 millimetres per year, with amplitudes varying according to coastline and sea. Over the last 20 years, this has ranged from 4 centimetres in the Gulf of Lion to 8 centimetres in the Aegean Sea.
Simulation in the Mediterranean
Two maps for two theoretical and modelled projections, variable according to the parameters of your choice.
Climate Central map
The simulation of rising sea levels in the Climate Central Mediterranean, focusing on the French and Corsican coasts, with several possible factors:
- In how many years?
- How high is the water level?
- What increase in temperature (global warming)?
- What climate and energy choices (warming choices)?
- How much are the ice caps and glaciers (ice sheets) melting?
- What new data (elevation dataset)
Map simulating rising sea levels Climate Central:
BRGM map
And that of the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), which allows you to :
- Search by municipality or address (top left)
- A selection of water levels (sea level, left)
- Zoom or full screen (top right)
- Choosing between a full or satellite map
Map simulating rising water levels BRGM:
You can also consult the maps simulating the rise in sea level for all French coasts (mainland France and overseas territories) or islands and coastlines around the world on the page below:
Travel+
- The rise and bigger rise of Mediterranean sea levels, The Guardian ↗
- Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 127 ↗
- Interactive map of rising sea levels
- Map of global warming by region
- Forest weather and fire risk in France (French)
- Going back in time with photos and maps, IGN (French)
- Vigicrues, risks and flooding (French)
- Environment, pages and articles
- Canals and waterways in France and towards Europe
- Watersheds in France and Europe (French)
- Flooding in France (French)
- Along the Rhône river