Green
The Tourist Beaches Predicted to Shrink the Most
The Tourist Beaches Predicted to Shrink the Most
Sandy beaches comprise more than one-third of the world’s coastline —but nearly half of this could be gone by 2100.
This graphic by HawaiianIslands.com uses European Commission data that estimates how shorelines worldwide will change over the next decades.
How this Graphic Works
The source conducted an analysis using European Commission data, estimating global shoreline changes by 2100.
Utilizing this data, they calculated the average decrease or increase (in meters) for the shorelines of the 10 most-reviewed beaches in each country on TripAdvisor.
Subsequently, they identified the top 20 tourist beaches projected to experience the most significant reduction in size. The beach boundaries were delineated using the Google Maps API.
Beaches Shrinking by 2100
According to various research, climate change is the main cause of sea levels rising across the globe. In the 20th century alone, it’s estimated that the mean global sea level rose by 11-16 cm.
Typically, beaches might naturally shift inland in response to higher water levels. However, over the last few decades, beaches, caught between rising seas and structures such as buildings and roads, have found themselves with nowhere to go.
Landmark Beach in Lagos, Nigeria, is expected to be the worst hit by 2100, losing 918.3 m of shoreline due to rising sea levels.
Lagos is already suffering the severe impact of rising seas through increased flooding, water-borne disease, and declining water quality.
Beach | Country | Shoreline Shrinkage (2100P) |
---|---|---|
Landmark | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 918.3m |
Mackenzie | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 660.9m |
Spiaggia La Cinta | 🇮🇹 Italy | 514.2m |
Costa do Sol | 🇲🇿 Mozambique | 453.4m |
Kuakata Sea | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 361.2m |
Kabyar Wa | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 351.7m |
Entry of Elegushi | 🇳🇬 Nigeria | 338.0m |
Royal Comission Yanbu | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | 336.2m |
Simaisma North | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 298.6m |
Al Thakeera | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 278.9m |
Akumal | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 265.9m |
Ngapali | 🇲🇲 Myanmar | 249.5m |
Patenga Sea | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | 245.8m |
Morro Branco | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 224.6m |
St. Brelade's Bay | 🇯🇪 Jersey | 213.6m |
Cape Henlopen | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 204.7m |
Veracruz | 🇵🇦 Panama | 202.4m |
Dado | 🇮🇱 Israel | 201.4m |
Clearwater | 🇺🇸 U.S. | 193.4m |
Blåvand | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 183.1m |
Playa Akumal in Cancún, Mexico, is the North American tourist beach that is expected to shrink the most (265.9 m). Parts of the Quintana Roo coast, where Akumal is found, are already losing up to 4.9 m a year.
Meanwhile, Clearwater Beach in Longboat Key, Florida, is the American beach that is anticipated to shrink the most (193.4 m). Rising sea levels in Clearwater pose an additional concern since the local aquifers, critical for the water supply of millions, are vulnerable to saltwater intrusion.
What’s Causing Sea Levels to Rise?
Since the 1970s, the world has experienced an average temperature increase of 0.15 to 0.20°C per decade, as indicated by NASA research.
This global warming phenomenon has triggered the melting of polar ice caps, resulting in the loss of approximately 28 trillion tonnes of ice within a little over two decades.
Concurrently, global sea levels have escalated by an average of 34.6 mm during the same period.
In the face of the challenge, solutions such as creating dunes along the backshore of beaches, increasing shoreline setbacks, and planting submerged aquatic vegetation to reduce erosion have been studied to mitigate the impact of rising sea levels.

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Technology
Ranked: Google’s Thirstiest Data Centers
Locating and ranking the thirstiest of Google’s data centers in America, by the millions of gallons of water consumed in 2023.

How Much Water do Google’s Data Centers Use?
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
This map locates Google’s data centers that consume the most water in America. Data is sourced from Google’s 2024 Environment Report.
Why do data centers need water? It’s because computer servers generate significant heat that must be dissipated to maintain performance.
As a result, water is used in chiller plants, evaporative cooling systems, and humidification to manage temperature levels.
Ranked: Google’s Thirstiest Data Centers
Google’s data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa consumed nearly 1 billion gallons of water in 2023, by far the most by any single complex listed in their report.
All of that water was potable, i.e., safe for drinking.
Rank | Location | State | Water Used 2023 (Gallons) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Council Bluffs | IA | 980M |
2 | Mayes County | OK | 815M |
3 | Berkeley County | SC | 763M |
4 | Douglas County | GA | 346M |
5 | Lenoir | NC | 337M |
6 | The Dalles | OR | 302M |
7 | Montgomery County | TN | 289M |
8 | Leesburg | VA | 173M |
9 | Henderson | NV | 159M |
10 | Jackson County | AL | 142M |
11 | Midlothian | TX | 136M |
12 | Papillion | NE | 135M |
13 | New Albany | OH | 127M |
14 | Sterling | VA | 56M |
15 | Ashburn | VA | 55M |
16 | Lockbourne | OH | 23M |
17 | Lancaster | OH | 8M |
18 | Storey County | NV | 0.2M |
The data center complexes in Mayes County, Oklahoma and Berkeley County, South Carolina are the next “thirstiest,” using 750–800 million gallons of water a year.
These top three locations are well-above their counterparts across the U.S., and the rest of the world in water usage.
Together all of Google’s data centers used nearly more than 6 billion gallons of water in 2023, the equivalent of 41 golf courses.
Do Google’s Data Centers Drink Water?
Technically, data centers don’t actually “consume” all the water they use. Most of it is circulated in a closed-loop cooling system, with some loss.
However these numbers are from Google’s Sustainability Report, which specifies the water it’s withdrawn from the supply, discharged, and “consumed,” with the latter visualized here.
Also in drier areas, water is actively used to control humidity by evaporation which means it is being lost to the surroundings.
Finally, heated water returned to the ecosystem can have an adverse environmental impact.
Learn More on the Voronoi App 
The other thing data centers need a lot of: electricity. Check out Data Center Electricity Consumption by State for a breakdown.
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