A new study published in the journal Nature Climate change forecasts that half of the world’s sandy beaches will disappear by 2100. Thanks to erosion, sandy beaches are in danger of being submerged.

Scientists used satellite data from the past 30 years to forecast future changes in the landscape. The extent of the damage depends on the extent of global warming and the final temperature increases as time goes along. Higher temperatures lead to higher seas and more intense storms, which affect beaches.

Lead author Michalis Vousdoukas told the Associated Press, “What we find is that by the end of the century around half of the beaches in the world will experience erosion that is more than 100 meters. It’s likely that they will be lost.”

Study authors identified the possibility that the United States, Mexico, Canada, Russia, China, Argentina and Chile would lose thousands of miles of beaches. Australia is estimated to lose 7,080 miles.

Vousdoukas said the way to reduce the chance of beach loss is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Read more about Climate change in One Green Planet, check out these articles acidification harming Dungeness crabs,  the mystery of dead birds across Alaska, turtles in Cape Cod Bay, lobsters off the coast of New England , Antartica’s hottest temperature recorded, and whales in the Gulf of Maine

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