The British Virgin Islands have
been around for millions of years and many geological factors have molded these
islands into what they are today. These
islands began their lives as volcanoes and eventually evolved into the tropical
paradises that they are today. The
single most influential geological factor that has had the most impact on the
islands is the Caribbean Sea. From
coastline erosion to weather patterns, this large body of water is manipulating
almost every environmental characteristic of the BVI’s.
In ten years, the most significant
factors that could potentially change the landscape of the islands would be
hurricanes and tropical storms.
Rising ocean temperatures caused by the increased amounts of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are not only increasing the likelihood of
hurricanes in this region, but storm intensity is also escalating. This boost in storm frequency and
intensity will have a great effect on storm runoff and flooding. These islands are also located along a
plate boundary where earthquakes frequently occur. Any one of these factors could drastically and very quickly
alter the landscape of this region.
Hurricanes could kill trees and wildlife, demolish structures and leave
the islands completely inhabitable and destroyed.
In the long term, between 100 and 1,000
years from now, anthropogenic factors will be of major concern. The continued burning of fossil fuels
will increase the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere to unprecedented levels. The atmosphere and the oceans will no
longer be able to maintain equilibrium and many adverse conditions could
potentially arise. Higher levels
of carbon dioxide in the Caribbean Sea could be detrimental to marine life and
to the delicate coral reefs that are prevalent throughout this region. Anegada’s stunning Horseshoe Reef could
be completely destroyed if ocean’s carbon dioxide concentrations meet their
projections. Sea levels are
also expected to rise 4 to 36 inches within the next 100 years. This increase in Sea level is due to the thermal expansion of ocean water and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets. This increase in sea level will begin
to erode the beaches and flood many of the coastal mangroves found throughout
the BVI’s. In a thousand years,
many of the islands could be completely submerged and many others will lose
substantial amounts of land.
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| The future of Horseshoe Reef? |
The
future of the BVI’s is uncertain.
Maintaining the delicate balance between Mother Nature and human
population will be of the utmost importance. I hope that many of the grim aforementioned predictions of
what the BVI’s will look like years from now will not become a reality. It is important that we address these
climate issues now and make the necessary changes to preserve places like the
BVI’s for many years to come.
