Being a part of the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Ibiza displays many breathtaking sights of coastal landscapes. As an island, it isn't surprising that Ibiza contains many gorgeous beaches. At first glance, tourists and natives see wonderful recreational spots to play in the water or tan; but upon a closer inspection, there are many geological forms present at these landscapes. Beaches form from years and years of sediment deposition as well as erosion of previous coastline. When the tides move in, it takes and deposits sediment while slowly nibbling away at the coastline to attain the desired flat coastline.
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| (Photo from ibizaa-z.com) |
In the above photo, the eroding cliffs display many wave cut notches formed from the constant bombardment of water, slowly eroding rock.
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| (Picture from www.covadecanmarsa.com) |
This picture features a good example of a tombolo, or a narrow piece of land connecting an island to the mainland. These form when currents carry and deposit sediment which builds up eventually creating a tombolo.
The Cova de Can Marca as mentioned before was once submerged below the Mediterranean Sea, formed from thousands of years of dissolution processes. Millions of years ago, Ibiza was apart of a big underwater mountain range. Carbonic acid dissolved through the limestone and sediment to form caverns and tunnels through the rock. When Ibiza rose above sea level, the caves were exposed, revealing the wondrous forms that can be found in a karst landscape.
Ibiza in Ten Years:
I believe that Ibiza will look the same in ten years because a decade isn't long enough for gradual geographic processes to play a huge part in Ibiza's landscapes. For slow processes to be noticed, millions of years need to occur. The only thing that could change the island dramatically would be a gigantic tropical storm, but this seems unlikely. Ibiza sees cloudless skies during its dry summer season, and only some mild storms occur in the wet winter season. The only thing that will change in ten years is the amount of tourists traveling to this island to enjoy its beautiful landscapes!
Ibiza in One Hundred Years:
In one hundred years, I predict that Ibiza's coastal landscapes will appear slightly different.
This graph suggests that in a century, the sea level will rise about 0.7 meters, or about 2 feet and 4 inches. This will not drastically affect the island, since Ibiza's highest point is 475 meters about sea lever (a little over a mile high), but it will result in less coastline and some residents may have to relocate their homes in case of a high tide or tropical storm.
Ibiza in One Thousand Years:
Much can happen in one thousand years, the same is true for Ibiza. I predict that Ibiza's sea level and climate will drop. The graph below portrays the global climate history for the past million years, as well as the sea level of the past 140,000 years.
The graph displays records which tell that our world's sea levels and climate have risen exponentially, especially in the past 20,000 years. This occurred every 100,000 years or so, so there is nothing to fear. If the trends from this graph stay true, then I believe that we are in a peak for our era and that our world's climate and sea level will slowly start to drop. This affects the island, because if the climate and sea level drop, Ibiza's elevation goes up, it receives more coastline, and the temperatures make it a more mild island.
Conclusion:
This Mediterranean island will see a lot of change within the next thousand years, mostly with its coastal landscapes and climate. The beaches will change forms, the coastlines will advance and retreat, and the climate will raise then slowly drop. Being an island, Ibiza sees a lot of change as it is, due to the ITCZ and trade winds. Although the future is still uncertain, I feel like my predictions hold some truth to what Ibiza will look like in the coming years.
Sources:
Ahlenius, Hugo. "Projected Sea Level Rise for the 21st Century." Grida.no. 2012. 26, April. 2012. www.grida.no
"Cova de Can Marca." ibizaa-z. 2007. 5, March. 2012. www.ibizaa-z.com
"Ibiza Beach." Ibizaa-z. 2007. 8, Feb. 2012. www.ibizaa-z.com.
United States. Department of Commerce. Climate Science: Investigating Climatic and Environmental Processes. 2008. Print.
Ibiza in Ten Years:
I believe that Ibiza will look the same in ten years because a decade isn't long enough for gradual geographic processes to play a huge part in Ibiza's landscapes. For slow processes to be noticed, millions of years need to occur. The only thing that could change the island dramatically would be a gigantic tropical storm, but this seems unlikely. Ibiza sees cloudless skies during its dry summer season, and only some mild storms occur in the wet winter season. The only thing that will change in ten years is the amount of tourists traveling to this island to enjoy its beautiful landscapes!
Ibiza in One Hundred Years:
In one hundred years, I predict that Ibiza's coastal landscapes will appear slightly different.
 |
| (Photo from www.grida.no) |
Ibiza in One Thousand Years:
Much can happen in one thousand years, the same is true for Ibiza. I predict that Ibiza's sea level and climate will drop. The graph below portrays the global climate history for the past million years, as well as the sea level of the past 140,000 years.
 |
| (Photo from www.ncdc.noaa.gov) |
Conclusion:
This Mediterranean island will see a lot of change within the next thousand years, mostly with its coastal landscapes and climate. The beaches will change forms, the coastlines will advance and retreat, and the climate will raise then slowly drop. Being an island, Ibiza sees a lot of change as it is, due to the ITCZ and trade winds. Although the future is still uncertain, I feel like my predictions hold some truth to what Ibiza will look like in the coming years.
Sources:
Ahlenius, Hugo. "Projected Sea Level Rise for the 21st Century." Grida.no. 2012. 26, April. 2012. www.grida.no
"Cova de Can Marca." ibizaa-z. 2007. 5, March. 2012. www.ibizaa-z.com
"Ibiza Beach." Ibizaa-z. 2007. 8, Feb. 2012. www.ibizaa-z.com.
United States. Department of Commerce. Climate Science: Investigating Climatic and Environmental Processes. 2008. Print.
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