Declining populations of coastal birds in Great Britain: victims of sea-level rise and climate change?

2000 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Norris ◽  
P W Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Coastal Birds

Is sea-level rise and (or) climate change responsible for current declines in important coastal bird populations in Great Britain, and how might these processes affect bird populations in future? We review the current status of coastal bird populations in Britain and identify two important species, Common Redshank (Tringa totanus) and Twite (Carduelis flavirostris), whose populations are currently declining. We then review the evidence relating to the causes of these declines. There is evidence that habitat loss, driven by sea-level rise and climate change (e.g., an increase in wind and wave energy reaching the coast due to an increase in the frequency of storms), could have contributed to the decline in Twite. Common Redshank numbers are declining because of changes in grazing management, not sea-level rise. Populations that are currently stable or increasing, such as wintering waders and wildfowl, might in future experience declines in abundance because there is a link between climate, food supply, and bird abundance. There are insufficient reliable data at present to allow us to predict future changes with any confidence. Sea-level rise and climate change are currently important issues facing coastal zone management in Great Britain, and these issues may become even more pressing in future. But, in addition to these environmental processes, coastal bird populations are affected by a range of other anthropogenic factors. Conservationists, therefore, need to identify important bird populations that are (or could be in future) detrimentally affected by any of these activities rather than focusing exclusively on single issues such as sea-level rise. Allowing the sea to breach existing sea defences, thereby creating new saltmarsh, provides a way forward but is not without its practical and political difficulties.Key words: coastal birds, sea-level rise, climate change, population decline, habitat loss, saltmarsh.

Floodplain Infrastructure and the Toxic Tide

2015 ◽  
pp. 150-173
Author(s):  
Sanford R. Bender
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Flood Plain ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Environmentally Sensitive ◽  
Coastal Sand

The human species is drawn to water. They are attracted by its dynamic flow and the promise of renewal that can lift their spirits up from the mundane. However, there is a growing awareness of how prior and current building practices continue to jeopardize environmentally sensitive wetlands, estuaries, bays, rivers, and coastal sand barriers. Constructing infrastructure in the floodplain causes erosion, pollution, habitat loss, invasive species, and increased vulnerability to hurricanes and other flooding disasters. This chapter will focus primarily on how building infrastructure located in the flood plain can affect the environment under the duress of catastrophic storm events. Reference is made to more far reaching phenomena global issues such as climate change, sea level rise, shifting continental fault lines, and other meteorological and geological changes that appear to be hastening the appearance of major disastrous events.

scholarly journals European Copernicus Services to Inform on Sea-Level Rise Adaptation: Current Status and Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angélique Melet ◽  
Carlo Buontempo ◽  
Matteo Mattiuzzi ◽  
Peter Salamon ◽  
Pierre Bahurel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Direct Consequence ◽  
Earth Observation ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
Sea Level Changes ◽  
Sea Level Rise Adaptation

Sea-level rise is a direct consequence of climate change. Primarily due to ocean thermal expansion and transfer from land ice (glaciers, ice sheets) to the ocean, sea-level rise is therefore an integrated indicator of climate change. Coastal zones and communities are expected to be increasingly threatened by sea level changes, with various adverse and widespread impacts. The European Union’s Earth Observation Programmed, Copernicus, monitors our planet and its environment, for the ultimate benefit of society. This includes the monitoring of sea level changes and the provision of ancillary fields needed to assess sea-level rise coastal risks, to guide adaptation and to support related policies and directives. Copernicus is organized with a space component, including dedicated Earth Observation satellites (Sentinel missions), and services, which transform the wealth of satellite, in situ and integrated numerical model information into added-value datasets and information usable by scientists, managers and decision-makers, and the wider public. Here, an overview of the Copernicus products and services to inform on sea level rise adaptation is provided. Perspectives from Copernicus services on future evolutions to better inform on coastal sea level rise, associated risks, and support adaptation are also discussed.

Combined effects of climate change and sea-level rise project dramatic habitat loss of the globally endangered Bengal tiger in the Bangladesh Sundarbans

2019 ◽  
Vol 663 ◽  
pp. 830-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharif A. Mukul ◽  
Mohammed Alamgir ◽  
Md. Shawkat I. Sohel ◽  
Petina L. Pert ◽  
John Herbohn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Bengal Tiger ◽  
And Sea Level

Floodplain Infrastructure and the Toxic Tide

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Sanford R. Bender
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Invasive Species ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Habitat Loss ◽  
Flood Plain ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Global Issues ◽  
Environmentally Sensitive ◽  
Coastal Sand

The human species is drawn to water. They are attracted by its dynamic flow and the promise of renewal that can lift their spirits up from the mundane. However, there is a growing awareness of how prior and current building practices continue to jeopardize environmentally sensitive wetlands, estuaries, bays, rivers, and coastal sand barriers. Constructing infrastructure in the floodplain causes erosion, pollution, habitat loss, invasive species, and increased vulnerability to hurricanes and other flooding disasters. This chapter will focus primarily on how building infrastructure located in the flood plain can affect the environment under the duress of catastrophic storm events. Reference is made to more far reaching phenomena global issues such as climate change, sea level rise, shifting continental fault lines, and other meteorological and geological changes that appear to be hastening the appearance of major disastrous events.

IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND SEA-LEVEL RISE ON NEW ZEALAND'S COAST

1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 124
Author(s):  
Hicks
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Impacts Of Climate Change ◽  
And Sea Level

COMMUNICATING CLIMATE CHANGE INDUCED FLOODING AND SEA LEVEL RISE RISK IN ONE OF AMERICAS MOST VULNERABLE REGIONS, CHARLESTON COUNTY, SC

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman S. Levine ◽  
◽  
Landon C. Knapp ◽  
Alex Braud ◽  
Casey Conrad
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
And Sea Level

scholarly journals Economic damages from Hurricane Sandy attributable to sea level rise caused by anthropogenic climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin H. Strauss ◽  
Philip M. Orton ◽  
Klaus Bittermann ◽  
Maya K. Buchanan ◽  
Daniel M. Gilford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
East Coast ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hurricane Sandy ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Sea Levels

AbstractIn 2012, Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast of the United States, creating widespread coastal flooding and over $60 billion in reported economic damage. The potential influence of climate change on the storm itself has been debated, but sea level rise driven by anthropogenic climate change more clearly contributed to damages. To quantify this effect, here we simulate water levels and damage both as they occurred and as they would have occurred across a range of lower sea levels corresponding to different estimates of attributable sea level rise. We find that approximately $8.1B ($4.7B–$14.0B, 5th–95th percentiles) of Sandy’s damages are attributable to climate-mediated anthropogenic sea level rise, as is extension of the flood area to affect 71 (40–131) thousand additional people. The same general approach demonstrated here may be applied to impact assessments for other past and future coastal storms.

scholarly journals Impact Assessment Analysis of Sea Level Rise in Denmark: A Case Study of Falster Island, Guldborgsund

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7503
Author(s):  
Alexander Boest-Petersen ◽  
Piotr Michalak ◽  
Jamal Jokar Arsanjani
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Projection Data ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Local Levels

Anthropogenically-induced climate change is expected to be the contributing cause of sea level rise and severe storm events in the immediate future. While Danish authorities have downscaled the future oscillation of sea level rise across Danish coast lines in order to empower the coastal municipalities, there is a need to project the local cascading effects on different sectors. Using geospatial analysis and climate change projection data, we developed a proposed workflow to analyze the impacts of sea level rise in the coastal municipalities of Guldborgsund, located in Southeastern Denmark as a case study. With current estimates of sea level rise and storm surge events, the island of Falster can expect to have up to 19% of its landmass inundated, with approximately 39% of the population experiencing sea level rise directly. Developing an analytical workflow can allow stakeholders to understand the extent of expected sea level rise and consider alternative methods of prevention at the national and local levels. The proposed approach along with the choice of data and open source tools can empower other communities at risk of sea level rise to plan their adaptation.

scholarly journals The Vulnerability of Health Infrastructure to the Impacts of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise in Small Island Countries in the South Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 117863292110208
Author(s):  
Subhashni Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Marshall Islands ◽  
World Health ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Medical Facilities ◽  
Medical Infrastructure

Anthropogenic climate change and related sea level rise will have a range of impacts on populations, particularly in the low lying Pacific island countries (PICs). One of these impacts will be on the health and well-being of people in these nations. In such cases, access to medical facilities is important. This research looks at the medical facilities currently located on 14 PICs and how climate change related impacts such as sea level rise may affect these facilities. The medical infrastructure in each country were located using information from a range of sources such as Ministry of Health (MoH) websites, World Health Organization, Doctors Assisting in South Pacific Islands (DAISI), Commonwealth Health Online, and Google Maps. A spatial analysis was undertaken to identify medical infrastructure located within 4 zones from the coastline of each country: 0 to 50 m, 50 to 100 m, 100 to 200 m, and 200 to 500 m. The findings indicate that 62% of all assessed medical facilities in the 14 PICs are located within 500 m of the coast. The low-lying coral atoll countries of Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Tokelau, and Tuvalu will be highly affected as all medical facilities in these countries fall within 500 m of the coast. The results provide a baseline analysis of the threats posed by sea-level rise to existing critical medical infrastructure in the 14 PICs and could be useful for adaptive planning. These countries have limited financial and technical resources which will make adaptation challenging.

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