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South Africa is rising from the ocean, and scientists now believe climate change-driven droughts are responsible. Loss of groundwater and surface water is causing the Earth’s crust to lift, researchers say.
In a surprising discovery, scientists have found that South Africa is rising out of the ocean and climate change may be the reason.
New GPS data shows the land is lifting by up to two millimetres a year in some regions. This uplift was previously thought to be caused by deep geological activity called mantle flow, in which hot rock rises from beneath the Earth's crust, creating bulges on the surface, reports Daily Mail.
However, new research by scientists at the University of Bonn suggests a different explanation: water loss caused by extreme droughts is making the Earth’s crust rebound upward — like a sponge expanding after being squeezed.
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What the data shows
South Africa’s precise land movements have been tracked using a national GPS network called the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). These static receivers, placed across the country, have revealed that the most dramatic uplifts are happening in areas hit hardest by droughts.
Between 2012 and 2020, some parts of South Africa rose by up to six millimetres. Researchers say the strongest uplift occurred during the 2015-2018 drought, one of the worst in South Africa’s history.
During that time, Cape Town came dangerously close to 'Day Zero', the moment the city’s taps would have run dry. The threat forced millions to conserve water, with some people collecting it from natural springs.
Why drought makes the land rise
Dr Christian Mielke, one of the study’s co-authors, explains that Earth's crust behaves like an elastic ball. When there is a lot of water, in soil, groundwater, and rivers, the weight pushes the land down. But when drought dries out these water sources, the crust bounces back.
This process, known as ‘elastic rebound', is now being detected across South Africa. “The loss of water mass due to drought causes the Earth's crust to lift again,” Mielke told MailOnline.
To confirm this, the scientists also used data from the GRACE satellite, a joint mission between NASA and Germany. This satellite measures slight changes in Earth’s gravity and helps estimate how much water is stored in a region.
The GRACE data matched the GNSS results: where water levels fell, land levels rose.
Is this permanent?
Scientists believe this uplift is temporary, what they call ‘episodic.’ During normal years, rainfall helps refill water sources, and the land settles again. But if droughts become more common due to climate change, the uplift could continue or even increase.
This rising land likely won’t affect buildings or infrastructure, but it gives researchers a valuable new way to monitor droughts. Tracking land movement is cheaper and faster than other methods of measuring water loss.
It could become a useful tool for countries like South Africa that are already facing the effects of climate change.
Climate change and the global drought crisis
The rise in South Africa’s land is just one example of how global warming is reshaping the planet. Scientists say human-caused climate change is making droughts more frequent and intense.
A 2022 study found that climate change made severe droughts across the Northern Hemisphere more than 20 times more likely. In countries like the UK, Canada, and Japan, summers are becoming hotter and drier.
Several factors contribute to extreme weather, including:
Climate Change: Global temperatures are rising, making heatwaves and droughts more intense.
Ocean Temperatures: Warmer North Atlantic waters can shift weather patterns.
La Niña Events: This cooling phase in the Pacific can change rainfall patterns.
Random Weather Variability: Some extreme events occur due to natural weather swings.
All these factors, combined with rising greenhouse gas emissions, are reshaping our world in ways scientists are only beginning to understand, including the unexpected rise of South Africa out of the sea.
