Rising sea levels from global warming 'could wipe out Norfolk Broads'

Rising sea levels caused by global warming could destroy the Norfolk Broads and Thames Estuary within a hundred years, climatologists will warn this week.

By Sarah Knapton Last Updated: 4:07PM GMT 08 Mar 2009

Low lying areas of the UK are under threat because the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are melting faster than previously thought.
And climate change is also likely to lead to super storms which will batter the coastlines of Britain.
Cities including London, Hull and Portsmouth are all likely to need new defences to prevent devastating flooding.
The dire warning will be made at a climate change conference in Copenhagen this week.
Dr David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey told the Observer: "It is now clear that there are going to be massive flooding disasters around the globe.
"Populations are shifting to the coast, which means that more and more people are going to be threatened by sea level rises."
Original predictions suggested sea-level was likely to rise between 20 and 60cm by 2100, but failed to take into account the impact of melting ice-sheets because the data was not understood.
Revised estimates suggest sea-level rises could top one meter by 2100, a figure backed up by the US Geological Survey who said it could reach up to 1.5m.
And storms caused by climate change could see super tidal surges hitting the UK coastline. East Anglia, the Thames Estuary and low-lying cities are all at risk without huge investment.
Dr Colin Brown, of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said: "Climate change shows there will be significant increases in storms as global temperatures rise. These will produce much more intense gales and hurricanes and these, in turn, will produce massive storm surges as they pass over the sea."
In a report published last month, the IMechE warned that the country will face massive disruption to its transport and energy systems. Many rail lines run along valleys which will be flooded.
The IMechE has warned that many areas of the country may have to be abandoned because they are too expensive to protect.