The areas of Scotland that could be underwater by 2040

It comes as the Met Office released its annual look at UK climate and weather for 2021, revealing how our perceptions of climate change have changed as trends show that sea levels are rising faster than ever.

Despite “unremarkable” weather in 2021, it would have been one of the hottest years ever prior to 1990.

The underwater climate change study has been conducted by Climate Central, an independent organisation of leading scientists and journalists who research climate change and its impact on the public.

The organisation used current projections to produce a map showing which areas would be underwater by 2040.

The map gives an in-depth look at areas across the country, showing the specific effects climate change could have. You can view your area on the map here.

The worst affected areas are those with coastal fronts and sharing banks with rivers.

Areas of Scotland that could be underwater

Areas along the River Clyde such as Inverclyde and Largs see significant losses, as well as Dumbarton.

Glasgow City remains unaffected; however Clydebank and the surrounding areas see a significant loss of land amid an expansion of Black Cart Water.

In the Highlands, Inverness sees a substantial loss of land. An area from the Kessock Bridge as far inland as Friars Lane is predicted to be underwater.

Findhorn and Invererne see the most loss.

The Western Isles will also see some land loss. The town of Stornoway would see much of its land lost to flooding as well as the nearby villages of Melbost, New Valley and Tong.

(Climate Central)

Shetland remains unscathed, while Orkney only sees small amounts of loss along the coast.

Along the north east coast, almost every area loses a portion of land. This is the same along the north west coast, although not as significant.

In the East, Aberdeen sees a small section of land loss, mainly in the Old Aberdeen area, with flooding coming from the mouth of the Don.

Climate Central also predicts flooding around the River Tyne. This covers a wide area that would in 2030 be underwater.

Some land loss is seen in Leith, in Edinburgh as well as in Musselburgh.

In the Perth area, significant land loss is seen around the Rivers Tay and Earn. The degree of land loss is followed along the banks to Dundee, where much of the coastal land is lost.

Fife follows trends with the rest of the country, with projected land loss being most significant in coastal areas. North Queensferry appears to be the most affected by this.

Around the Borders, the River Nith and surrounding areas shows large amounts of projected land loss. Dumfries, Gretna Green and Annan are all affected.

However, Climate Central admits the calculations that have led to fears of a nightmare scenario include "some error".

It says: "These maps incorporate big datasets, which always include some error. These maps should be regarded as screening tools to identify places that may require deeper investigation of risk."

The maps have been based on "global-scale datasets for elevation, tides and coastal flood likelihoods" and "imperfect data is used".

(Climate Central)

Climate Central adds: "Our approach makes it easy to map any scenario quickly and reflects threats from permanent future sea-level rise well.

"However, the accuracy of these maps drops when assessing risks from extreme flood events.

"Our maps are not based on physical storm and flood simulations and do not take into account factors such as erosion, future changes in the frequency or intensity of storms, inland flooding, or contributions from rainfall or rivers."

But it adds: "Improved elevation data indicate far greater global threats from sea level rise and coastal flooding than previously thought, and thus greater benefits from reducing their causes."

Mike Kendon, from the Met Office National Climate Information Centre said of the annual report: “What we regard as fairly normal now, in the past that would have been pretty unusual, so our perception of what is normal is changing as our climate changes.”