Assessing sea level-rise risks to coastal floodplains in the Kakadu Region, northern Australia, using a tidally driven hydrodynamic model

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bayliss ◽  
Kate Saunders ◽  
Leo X. C. Dutra ◽  
Lizandra F. C. Melo ◽  
James Hilton ◽  
...  

The low-lying coastal floodplains of the Kakadu Region in tropical northern Australia encompass World Heritage Kakadu National Park and are highly vulnerable to future sea level-rise (SLR) and extreme weather events, yet there are no modelling tools to assess potential impacts of saltwater inundation (SWI) on freshwater ecosystems and to evaluate future management options. A tidally driven hydrodynamic model was developed to simulate the frequency and extent of SWI in the Kakadu Region for the following four mean SLR scenarios: 0m (present-day, 2013); 0.14m (2030); 0.70m (2070); and 1.1m (2100). Simulations were undertaken at 60-m spatial resolution using October dry-season tides, and a digital elevation model (0.10-m vertical resolution) constructed from LiDAR point cloud data was used to resolve coastal and river-system terrains. Model outputs (maximum extent and frequency of SWI) were used to assess potential loss of freshwater floodplains for each scenario at a park-wide scale and for three case-study areas that differ in tidal influence. Results show little loss by 2030 (–3%), a possible threshold effect by 2070 (–42%) and ameliorating after 2100 (–65%). Although freshwater floodplains further from the coast showed least exposure to simulated SLR, indicating potential refuge areas, all floodplains on Kakadu will be exposed to SWI by 2132 (+117 years).

Author(s):  
Inti Carro ◽  
Leonardo Seijo ◽  
Gustavo J. Nagy ◽  
Ximena Lagos ◽  
Ofelia Gutiérrez

Purpose This study aims to show a case study of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) measures to increase coastal system’s resilience to extreme weather events and sea-level rise (SLR) implemented at Kiyú (Uruguayan coast of the Rio de la Plata river estuary). Design/methodology/approach A participatory process involving the community and institutional stakeholders was carried out to select and prioritise adaptation measures to reduce the erosion of sandy beaches, dunes and bluffs due to extreme wind storm surge and rainfall, SLR and mismanagement practices. The recovery of coastal ecosystems was implemented through soft measures (green infrastructure) such as revegetation with native species, dune regeneration, sustainable drainage systems and the reduction of use pressures. Findings Main achievements of this case study include capacity building of municipal staff and stakeholders, knowledge exchanges with national-level decision makers and scientists and the incorporation of EbA approaches by subnational-level coastal governments. To consolidate EbA, the local government introduced innovations in the coastal management institutional structure. Originality/value The outcomes of the article include, besides the increase in the resilience of social-ecological systems, the strengthening of socio-institutional behaviour, structure and sustainability. This experience provides insights for developing a strategy for both Integrated Coastal Management and climate adaptation at the national scale.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke L. Bateman ◽  
Lotem Taylor ◽  
Chad Wilsey ◽  
Joanna Wu ◽  
Geoffrey S. LeBaron ◽  
...  

AbstractClimate change is a significant threat to biodiversity globally, compounded by threats that could hinder species’ ability to respond through range shifts. However, little research has examined how future bird ranges may coincide with multiple stressors at a broad scale. Here, we assess the risk to 544 birds in the United States from future climate change threats under a mitigation-dependent global warming scenario of 1.5°C and an unmitigated scenario of 3.0°C. Threats considered included sea level rise, lake level change, human land cover conversion, and extreme weather events. We developed a gridded index of risk based on coincident threats, species richness, and richness of vulnerable species. To assign risk to individual species and habitat groups, we overlaid future bird ranges with threats to calculate the proportion of species’ ranges affected in both the breeding and non-breeding seasons. Nearly all species will face at least one new climate-related threat in each season and scenario analyzed. Even with lower species richness, the 3.0°C scenario had higher risk for species and groups in both seasons. With unmitigated climate change, multiple coincident threats will affect over 88% of the conterminous United States, and 97% of species could be affected by two or more climate-related threats. Some habitat groups will see up to 96% species facing three or more threats. However, climate change mitigation would reduce risk to birds from climate change-related threats across over 90% of the US. Across the threats included here, extreme weather events have the most significant influence on risk and the most extensive spatial coverage. Urbanization and sea level rise will also have disproportionate impacts on species relative to the area they cover. By incorporating threats into predictions of climate change impacts, this assessment provides a comprehensive picture of how climate change will affect birds and the places they need.


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 94-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thong Chi Ho ◽  
Ngo Van Dau ◽  
Giang Song Le ◽  
Oanh Thi Phi Tran

SaiGon –DongNai (SG-DN) river system plays a vital role in developing the southern key economic triangle including Ho Chi Minh City, DongNai and BinhDuong provinces. Saltwater intrusion results from many factors and complex movements in SG–DN river system, in the midst of which are sea level rise and water regulation of upstream reservoirs. Theses causes have gradually changed the hydraulic regimes of the river system. As a result, saltwater intrusion has become seriously. In this article, the authors used mathematical models to investigate the change of saltwater boundary of the river system before and after the impact of sea level rise and the regulatory regime of the reservoirs. The findings contributed to the predicted scenarios where sea level rise and salinity boundary could be controlled through the regulation of upstream reservoirs.


Author(s):  
Joshua A. Pulcinella ◽  
Arne M. E. Winguth ◽  
Diane Jones Allen ◽  
Niveditha Dasa Gangadhar

Hurricanes and other extreme precipitation events can have devastating effects on population and infrastructure that can create problems for emergency responses and evacuation. Projected climate change and associated global warming may lead to an increase in extreme weather events that results in greater inundation from storm surges or massive precipitation. For example, record flooding during Hurricane Katrina or, more recently, during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, led to many people being cut off from aid and unable to evacuate. This study focuses on the impact of severe weather under climate change for areas of Harris County, TX that are susceptible to flooding either by storm surge or extreme rainfall and evaluates the transit demand and availability in those areas. Future risk of flooding in Harris County was assessed by GIS mapping of the 100-year and 500-year FEMA floodplains and most extreme category 5 storm tide and global sea level rise. The flood maps have been overlaid with population demographics and transit accessibility to determine vulnerable populations in need of transit during a disaster. It was calculated that 70% of densely populated census block groups are located within the floodplains, including a disproportional amount of low-income block groups. The results also show a lack of transit availability in many areas susceptible to extreme storm surge exaggerated with sea level rise. Further study of these areas to improve transit infrastructure and evacuation strategies will improve the outcomes of extreme weather events in the future.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Castrucci ◽  
Navid Tahvildari

AbstractHampton Roads is a populated area in the United States Mid-Atlantic region that is highly affected by sea level rise (SLR). The transportation infrastructure in the region is increasingly disrupted by storm surge and even minor flooding events. The purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of SLR impacts on storm surge flooding in the region. We develop a hydrodynamic model to study the vulnerability of several critical flood-prone neighborhoods to storm surge flooding under several SLR projections. The hydrodynamic model is validated for tide prediction, and its performance in storm surge simulation is validated with the water level data from Hurricane Irene (2011). The developed model is then applied to three urban flooding hotspots located in Norfolk, Chesapeake, and the Isle of Wight. The extent, intensity, and duration of storm surge inundation under different SLR scenarios are estimated. Furthermore, the difference between the extent of flooding as predicted by the hydrodynamic model and the “bathtub” approach is highlighted.


2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 1311-1322 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kay ◽  
J. Caesar ◽  
J. Wolf ◽  
L. Bricheno ◽  
R. J. Nicholls ◽  
...  

A hydrodynamic model of the Bay of Bengal has been used to explore increasing frequency of extreme sea levels in the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna delta over the 21st century.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Lincke

<p><span>Global coastal impact and adaptation analysis in the context of climate change induced sea-level rise needs precise and standardized datasets. Here, such datasets and their construction are presented. Starting from a high-resolution global digital elevation model, the coastline is extracted with taking into account river mouths and lagoons taken from a global surface water dataset. The global low-elevation coastal zone (LECZ) is derived by determining all grid cells hydrological connected to the coastline. Recent surge-data is combined with sea-level rise scenarios to partition the global LECZ into local floodplains. Latest socio-economic and land-use data is used to partition and classify these local floodplains. As local impacts and adaptation responses are not spatially uniform, but depend on a range of conditions including: i) biophysical conditions such as natural boundaries between floodplains (e.g. hills, rocks, etc.) and coastal geomorphology (e.g. sandy versus rocky shores), ii) technical conditions such as existing flood protection infrastructure (e.g. dike rings in the Netherlands), and ii) socio-economic conditions such as administrative boundaries, land use and urban extent (e.g. rural versus urban areas), latest land-use, beach and wetland datasets are used to partition the coastline of each floodplain into a network of coastline segments which can be used for assessing local shoreline management options. </span></p><p><span>The generated datasets contain about 1.6 million km of coastline distributed over 87,600 islands. The LECZ comprises 3.14 million km² and partitioning this LECZ with surge and sea-level rise data into floodplains for coastal impact modelling finds about 221,800 floodplains with at least 0.05 km² area. </span></p>


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