This news story about Taiwan has been making the rounds with the usual alarming news outlets. My view is clearly on subsidence, caused by poor land use practice. See below the Continue Reading line for the easily found reasons.
Excerpts: from AFP via Yahoo News
Rising sea levels threaten Taiwan
TUNGSHIH, Taiwan (AFP) – When worshippers built a temple for the goddess Matsu in south Taiwan 300 years ago, they chose a spot they thought would be at a safe remove from the ocean. They did not count on global warming.
Now, as the island faces rising sea levels, the Tungshih township is forced to set up a new temple nearby, elevated by three metres (10 feet) compared with the original site.
“Right now, the temple is flooded pretty much every year,” said Tsai Chu-wu, the temple’s chief secretary, explaining why the 63-million-dollar project is necessary.
“Once the new temple is completed, we should be able to avoid floods and the threat of the rising sea, at least for many, many years,” he said.
The temple of Matsu, ironically often described as the Goddess of the Sea, is only one example of how global warming is slowly, almost imperceptibly piling pressure on Taiwan.
…
And unlike the temple, none of these crucial economic establishments can possibly be lifted, leaving them exposed to the elements.
“If the sea levels keep rising, part of Taiwan’s low-lying western part could be submerged,” said Wang Chung-ho, an earth scientist at Taiwan’s top academic body Academia Sinica.
…
Still, environmentalists consider the risk too high to ignore, and they point out that it is compounded by the overpumping of groundwater both for traditional agriculture and for fish farming.
This has caused the groundwater level to fall and land to subside below sea level in some coastal areas, experts warn.
The greatest extent of seawater encroachment has been estimated to be as far as 8.5 kilometres inland with an affected area of about 104 square kilometres (40 square miles) in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung county, according to a study co-written by Wang.
Once low-lying areas are routinely invaded by sea water, it is very hard to turn back the tide, analysts warned.
…
In its 2007 assessment report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations said that due to the global warming, the world’s sea level is projected to rise by up to 0.59 metres before the end of this century.
However, Wang was more pessimistic, citing recent findings that greenhouse gas emissions are growing faster than previously believed.
Read the rest of the story here: AFP via Yahoo News
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And where is Pingtung County in Taiwain?
But that is not where the Matsu temple that is the focus of the story is, it is a misdirection. Read on.
Now consider this news story about a hi-speed rail system in Taiwan from China Daily that says:
Safety concerns were raised after according to the Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) figures revealed that at its worst, the land at one site along the stretch in Yunlin County has sunk 55 centimeters over the past seven years.
Over-pumping of underground water for irrigation has been blamed for the subsidence, and the Water Resources Agency (WRA) has identified 1,115 wells in the area that need to be sealed to stop the sinking.
Seems pretty clear that subsidence is happening quickly in that county. Here’s a paper studying the Yuanlin area, Changhua County. PDF here. Note the mention of Yunlin County, save that for later.
Using Radar Interferometry to Observe Land Subsidence in Yuanlin area, Changhua County, Taiwan
Abstract: The behavior of land subsidence in Yuanlin area, Changhua County, Taiwan has been monitored by the two-pass method of Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) during the period from 1995 to 2002. Our interferometric result has shown that the subsidence behavior is unusual right before and after the Chi-Chi earthquake. Two-month before the earthquake, the pre-seismic differential interferogram detects a substantial increase in land subsidence with a prominent U-shaped pattern of groundwater level change. Two days after the devastating earthquake, our one-month image-pair shows a five-fold increase in land subsidence and an apparent shift of subsidence center. In this study, we suggest mechanisms that contribute to land subsidence in pre-seismic, co-seismic and post-seismic. We tend to believe that the circular/elongated pattern shown in our interferograms are caused by a point-source deformation. Besides, strain also plays a very important role in accelerating land subsidence shown in the post-seismic differential interferogram. It causes a very sudden, step-like surge in groundwater. The shaking of the earthquake as well as the increase of groundwater trigger the occurrence of soil liquefaction, in return, accelerating land subsidence. We propose there are two center of land subsidence right after the Chi-Chi earthquake though only one subsidence center can be observed in our differential interferogram.
Here’s what the Taipei Times shows happening as a result of land subsidence:
Here’s an interesting passage from the Geography Department at NTU titled The Hazards of Taiwan:
The fish-farming industry in western and northeastern Taiwan requires several times more ground water than is needed for irrigation. This kind of over-pumping of ground water results in serious land subsidence or sinking in the coastal areas. According to a recent survey, an area of up to 1,097 square kilometers suffers from subsidence: this is 3% of the island’s total land area and 9% of its flat area. This problem obviously needs an immediate and effective solution.
So even though there is plentiful evidence that local land use abuse resulting in subsidence is the primary cause of seawater incursions, the reporter, Benjamin Yeh, chooses instead to make “global warming” the primary culprit.
His paragraph says it all:
The temple of Matsu, ironically often described as the Goddess of the Sea, is only one example of how global warming is slowly, almost imperceptibly piling pressure on Taiwan.
Religion and global warming, a match made in heaven.
From this Taiwan Government Report on Water Resources we find this paragraph, red emphasis mine:
Land Subsidence
Lured by profits, many farmers in the coastal areas of Yunlin, Changhua, Pingtung, Chiayi, and Ilan have expanded into aquaculture. Aquaculturalists have dug 170,000 illegal wells and pumped excessive amounts of groundwater, because it is cheap and stable in temperature. In addition to being used in aquaculture, groundwater is also pumped for industrial, residential, and standard agricultural uses. Recent data shows that while 5.94 billion cubic meters of groundwater is being pumped annually, only four billion cubic meters is being replaced. This deficit has caused land in many areas to subside, especially along the southwestern coast and on the Ilan Plain. Overall, almost 865 square kilometers of Taiwan’s plains, or a full 8 percent, tend to subside. The most serious subsidence has occurred around Chiatung in Pingtung County, where sites have sunk by as much as 3.06 meters. The average rate of subsidence in the coastal areas is between five and 15 centimeters each year.
The Temple of Matsu is in Yunlin County which is located on this map:
Another study on groundwater and subsidence from the Department of Geomatics, National Cheng Kung University says:
For example, the overall amount of subsidence in Yunlin area in the past 30 years reaches about 2 meters, and the total affected area of subsidence is about 516 km2. Land subsidence has increased the vulnerability in this area, and a large portion of which lies below the mean sea level.
When badly flawed articles like this one from AFP’s Benjamin Yeh appear, blaming global warming for flooding clearly caused by land subsidence as a result of poor land use practice, we need to complain loudly to editors.
http://www.afp.com/afpcom/en/contact
“Experts warned.”
That phrase “experts warned”just means they would like to impose some new regulations, fees, taxes, rationing and restrictions on you, preferably based on counting co2 and h2o molecules you may have had any contact with. When they get really good, they can make all the taxes retroactive to the day of your unfortunate birth.
Glad I could help.
I see no reason to assume the reporter is agenda-motivated. Incompetent will suffice. Or perhaps just lazy or rushed.
Thanks for the excellent research, Anthony! Keep on knocking the false stories down.
Wang Chung-ho, an earth scientist at Taiwan’s top academic body Academia Sinica proves once again that “warmists” will tell any lie to make their point. These are not scientists they are propagandists.
Google things like “Alviso” and “Frank’s Tract.”
Yep … subsidence … got it … been going on for years.
Why is it that whenever I watch TV archaeological dig programmes, like Time Team for example they have to dig down through layers of earth to reach/discover artifacts. The further down they dig the further back in time they go. Surely that is land rise over a period of time, be it sediment/organic deposit etc.
No-one ever mentions the average rate of land rise over the centuries.
I found this listing of articles by this reporter. What do you think of this one?
Weather is not climate unless weather is climate change.
The AFP? Hah, that “news” agency is all about bias in international, environmental and religious areas. They exist to establish misinformation like this.
Forget it. You might as effectively complain about the New York Times’ editorial policy. AFP is not worthy of anyone’s attention.
Tunnels and building foundations in London, Paris and New York have the opposite problem of rising groundwater levels due to reduced industrial abstraction. This may lead to flooded belowground floors in buildings.
It has nothing to do with global warming.
We Taiwanese are pumping out all the underground water to demonstrate our determination that we would rather sink our island into the sea than let the Chinese take our island republic.
Tsai in Taiwan says:
May 10, 2010 at 2:17 pm
It has nothing to do with global warming.
We Taiwanese are pumping out all the underground water to demonstrate our determination that we would rather sink our island into the sea than let the Chinese take our island republic.
*********
Now, this is an argument I can live with. LOL
Taiwan should contact the Israelis on how to get fresh water.
David,
You’re welcome! The story about the enviroweenies pulling up the tree is just a stunning example of their willingness to do anything in furtherance of their lies!
Its all down to the Sun
http://www.weatheraction.com/displayarticle.asp?a=71&c=1
Arnost @ur momisugly 9:43
I can see on the software I have (OrbMap) that there is currently a negative 33 centimetres sea surface anomaly in the Rotuma area, which would indicate low water spring tides being a foot lower than normal. No drama.
@Lonnie Schubert – yes, the AFP contact regime is like trying to climb through a gorse hedge with your shirt off.
Most of the respondents to this post have given examples of subsidence due to over pumping of an aquifer. Most of this pumping has increased during the past 50 years as more and more power systems are made available and more horsepower lowered into the ground. Some of the aquifers in the Midwest have been lowered thousands of feet.
How much of the sea level rise we have seen in the past is due to the over pumping of our aquifers?
That would have to be some awfully pinpoint sea level rise. Since the island I live on hasn’t experienced any noticeable rise since the 1930s.
Wish I had posted this earlier. I visited the same castle that Obama went to in Ghana about a year ago. I was working there on a research vessel. There is a place in the castle where the slaves were escorted to the ships which took them to the countries that they were going for sell. I noticed that the docks just outside of this exit point were about 20 ft above the oceans sea level.
This could not have been a result of tides as near the equator, the tide does not vary that much. So, the land must have risen since colonial times in that area about 20-30 ft.
I would assume this can be confirmed. There was no water near the docks where the “ships” would have been tide up to load the slaves.
Ah, but you guys have forgot about the real reason for this. I believe the population of Taiwan has increased rapidly and according to The” scientist “Congressman , when that happens on an island it may tip into the ocean. Just a reminder .
Excellent analysis. The first thing that popped into my mind was that Tungshih is nowhere near the sinking areas cited. And I knew that hack Wang Chung-ho’s name would come up. He’s been all over the media saying the island is going to disappear under the sea due to evil carbon dioxide. He’s a featured speaker at one of a current series of scaremongering presentations on “climate” being held at the island’s citadel of political correctness and globalisation agitprop, National Taiwan University. Not sure I have the stage presence to confront him in front of an audience, but I might be able to get in a question or two. Will check the series poster tomorrow (featuring a big picture of – what else – a polar bear) to see when his turn at the rostrum is scheduled.
kwik @May 10, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Funny you should say that. Although I didn’t read it, I did notice a headline in one of yesterday’s Chinese-language papers on learning from the Israelis about water utilization. I’ve also met some locals who have bought or adapted irrigation systems devised there.
Too bad Taiwan doesn’t have any neighbours to steal water from, too.
I tried to leave a comment to AFP and could not find a place to give them a complaint. I think this article flies in the face of their mission statement below
“Accuracy
• Accuracy is the absolute priority.
• Reporters and editors check, then double-check the facts.
• Every story, every claim is sourced.
• Coverage is balanced. AFP gets the other side of story, always seeking a response to accusations, claims and recriminations.
Speed
• One-line bulletins and single sentence urgent dispatches deliver the breaking news immediately”
This article quoted by Yahoo demonstates the hypocracy in the media. There is no checking on the stories, accuracy is measured by the quality of plagarism rather than the accuracy of the message. What facts were checked? Yahoo was content to copy the APF article without checking too. It is really frustrating to see and hear day in and day out the anecodotal evidence of global warming propagandized by the major media. They do not seem to be accountable for misinformationr disinformation.
Dear rich westerners,
Subsidize our subsidence
Benjamen Yeh is motivated by ideological zeal. Post-normal journalism meets post-normal science. It’s pretty common these days, unfortunately.
The coastal zone of Gippsland where offshore oil rigs have been extracting oil since the 60’s is also facing significant subsidence. I imagine they will be telling as that seal level is rising due to climate change. BTW these wells are where they going to pump liquified CO2 for carbon sequestration.
Anthony
Might be an idea to reproduce the photo of ground subsidence in San Fernando Valley which the late Lance Endersbee published in his last book – in which continued extraction of ground water caused the subsidence. Taiwan? Could it’s subsidence have a similar cause?
The specific photo has a person standing next to a power pole that had two signs on it denoting ground level then and now etc.
The issue here is that if humanity has been extracting ground water over time, causing in some places ground subsidence, then it follows that this fact alone should cause a rise in SL, coupled with land subsidence.
However current theory maintains that all ground water is recycled rainwater which Lance Endersbee, and others before him, questioned. Which means that water might well be primarily a mantle product that seeps to the Earth’s surface via various paths, human extraction being one of many.
Are those sources factored into any SL model? I don’t think so.