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NEWS: Coastal wetlands are unable to adapt to the rate of sea-level rise and are constrained by infrastructure

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Wetlands, precious ecosystems that shield coastlines, safeguard drinking water from saltwater contamination, and nourish diverse wildlife, face a dire threat from the accelerating pace of sea-level rise, driven by global warming. Wetlands have historically adapted to rising sea levels by expanding upward and inland. However, predictions indicate that the waterline will soon shift far too rapidly for wetlands to keep pace. Consequently, future decades may witness the tragic loss of these vital wetland ecosystems. Wetlands along coastlines have historically played valuable roles for people and wildlife, but are now facing the threat of sea-level rise. As temperatures rise, sea levels are rising at an accelerating rate, and wetlands are unable to keep pace by building upward and migrating inland. This is due to human-induced climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, which has warmed the oceans and melted glaciers. Sea levels are now rising at about 10 millimeters per year, and are
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NEWS: The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world.

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Standing at 829.8 metres, Dubai's Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world.


People on the upper floors of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, perceive time differently than do those on lower levels.

In a new book called "Supertall," architect Stefan Al explored the world of skyscrapers and how they affect the way we live, including the impact the world's tallest building has on its inhabitants.

At 830 meters tall, the Burj Khalifa is twice the height of New York's Empire State Building. It far exceeds the scale of anything that's been built on Earth, Al wrote.


"I remember first going there, and I had this old camera phone — I couldn't even fit it in one single shot. I thought that's so bizarre that you can't even fit a building in your camera lens," Al told Insider.

From the top of the Burj, people can view so far into the Arabian Desert that they see the sun set several minutes after people on the ground see it set, per Al's book. It's had implications for the Muslim population in the building: As a result of the perceived time difference, those living on the higher floors of the Burj need to wait a few extra minutes before breaking their fast at sunset.

"Dubai clerics decided that the residents above the 80th floor should wait an additional two minutes to end their Ramadan fasting. And those above the 150th should wait an additional three," Al wrote in his book.

At the top of the building, the temperature on the outside is also thought to be 6°C cooler than on the ground, per the book.

"Since the air gets cooler the higher you go, you can take advantage of that height difference by having less air conditioning on the upper levels, because you can use that cooler air as intake," Al told Insider.

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