RISING SEA LEVEL: LEGAL CONSEQUENCES ON THE SHIFTING OF COASTAL STATE BASELINE

AbstractBaseline is a line drawn from the coastal configuration features, which is very important because the drawing of a baseline allows a coastal State to claim its own maritime zone as measured from said line. However, this concept of baseline currently faced new phenomena called the sea-level rise caused by the climate change. Climate change is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere and causing the earth's surface temperature and sea surface temperatures to increase causing the melting of ice and glaciers. Based on survey data Fifth Assessment Report conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is said that in 2100 the rise of sea water will reach 0.52m to 0.98m. In this regard, the rise of seawater brings a legal implication of the possibility in a shift of the baseline due to the inundation of the coastline used as a place to draw the baseline itself, resulting in the possibility of States losing juridical claims in its maritime zone. Coastal States must now begin to have awareness regarding the impacts caused by rising sea level in order to anticipate and reduce the impact of rising sea level. Keywords: Baseline, Climate Change, Maritime Zone, Rising-Sea Level. AbstrakGaris pangkal merupakan garis yang ditarik dari fitur-fitur konfigurasi pantai yang sangat penting karena penarikan garis pangkal memungkinkan suatu negara untuk mengklaim zona maritim miliknya, diukur dari garis tersebut. Akan tetapi, garis pangkal ini kini menghadapi kendala yaitu fenomena kenaikan air laut yang disebabkan oleh perubahan iklim. Perubahan iklim disebabkan karena menumpuknya gas emisi rumah kaca dan menyebabkan suhu permukaan bumi dan suhu permukaan air laut meningkat sehingga menyebabkan mencairnya es dan gletser di bumi. Dari kejadian tersebut lahirlah fenomena yang dinamakan kenaikan air laut. Berdasarkan data dari survei yang dilakukan oleh Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) dalam Fifth Assessment Report, dikatakan bahwa pada tahun 2100 kenaikan air laut akan mencapai 0,52m hingga 0,98m. Dalam hal ini, kenaikan air laut akan membawa implikasi hukum terkait kemungkinan adanya pergeseran pada garis pangkal dikarenakan tergenangnya wilayah garis pantai yang digunakan sebagai tempat untuk menarik garis pangkal, sehingga besar kemungkinan terjadinya hilangnya klaim yuridis pada zona maritim tertentu. Negara-negara pantai sekarang sudah harus menyadari dampak yang disebabkan oleh kenaikan air laut ini sehingga kemudian dapat mengantisipasi dampak dari kenaikan air laut. Kata Kunci: Garis Pangkal, Kenaikan Air Laut, Perubahan Iklim, Zona Maritim.

Download Full-text

COMBINING COASTAL DESIGN-FLOOD ELEVATIONS AND SEA LEVEL RISE PROJECTIONS

Coastal Engineering Proceedings ◽

10.9753/icce.v33.management.26 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 1 (33) ◽

pp. 26

Author(s):

James Houston

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Design Consideration ◽

Design Flood ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Flood Level ◽

Rising Sea Level ◽

And Sea Level

Design-flood elevations with associated exceedance probabilities are often determined for coastal projects. Rising sea level introduces another design consideration that needs to be combined with the design-flood level. However, most sea level projections do not have exceedance probabilities that can be used in conjunction with the design flood to obtain total flood elevations with exceedance probabilities. This paper shows how to combine design-flood elevations with sea level rise projections that have exceedance probabilities, such as those of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (Bindoff et al 2007) or Houston (2012a), to obtain total elevations at desired exceedance probabilities over particular intervals.

Download Full-text

Assessing impacts of climate change, sea level rise, and drainage canals on saltwater intrusion to coastal aquifer

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-17-421-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 421-443 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

P. Rasmussen ◽

T. O. Sonnenborg ◽

G. Goncear ◽

K. Hinsby

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Drinking Water ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Groundwater Recharge ◽

Sea Level ◽

Saltwater Intrusion ◽

Sea Water ◽

Drainage Canals ◽

The Impact ◽

Chloride Concentrations

Abstract. Groundwater abstraction from coastal aquifers is vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise because both may potentially impact saltwater intrusion and hence groundwater quality depending on the hydrogeological setting. In the present study the impacts of sea level rise and changes in groundwater recharge are quantified for an island located in the Western Baltic Sea. The low-lying central area of the investigated part of the island was extensively drained and reclaimed during the second half of the 19th century by a system of artificial drainage canals that significantly affects the flow dynamics of the area. The drinking water, mainly for summer cottages, is abstracted from 11 wells drilled to a depth of around 20 m into the upper 5–10 m of a confined chalk aquifer, and the total pumping is only 5–6% of the drainage pumping. Increasing chloride concentrations have been observed in several abstraction wells and in some cases the WHO drinking water standard has been exceeded. Using the modeling package MODFLOW/MT3D/SEAWAT the historical, present and future freshwater-sea water distribution is simulated. The model is calibrated against hydraulic head observations and validated against geochemical and geophysical data from new investigation wells, including borehole logs, and from an airborne transient electromagnetic survey. The impact of climate changes on saltwater intrusion is found to be sensitive to the boundary conditions of the investigated system. For the flux-controlled aquifer to the west of the drained area only changes in groundwater recharge impacts the freshwater–sea water interface whereas sea level rise does not result in increasing sea water intrusion. However, on the barrier islands to the east of the reclaimed area, below which the sea is hydraulically connected to the drainage canals, and the boundary of the flow system therefore controlled, the projected changes in sea level, groundwater recharge and stage of the drainage canals all have significant impacts on saltwater intrusion and the chloride concentrations found in abstraction wells.

Download Full-text

Assessing the impact of sea-level rise on a vulnerable coastal community in Accra, Ghana

Jàmbá Journal of Disaster Risk Studies ◽

10.4102/jamba.v5i1.60 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kwasi Appeaning Addo ◽

Michael Adeyemi

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

High Tide ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Marine Turtle ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Coastal Community ◽

The Impact

Climate change and its associated sea-level rise are expected to significantly affect vulnerable coastal communities. Although the extent of the impact will be localised, its assessment will adopt a monitoring approach that applies globally. The topography of the beach, the type of geological material and the level of human intervention will determine the extent of the area to be flooded and the rate at which the shoreline will move inland. Gleefe, a coastal community in Ghana, has experienced frequent flooding in recent times due to the increasing occurrence of storm surge and sea-level rise. This study used available geospatial data and field measurements to determine how the beach topography has contributed to the incidence of flooding at Gleefe. The topography is generally low-lying. Sections of the beach have elevations of around 1 m, which allows seawater to move inland during very high tide. Accelerated sea-level rise as predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will destroy homes of the inhabitants and inundate the Densu wetlands behind the beach. Destruction of infrastructure will render the inhabitants homeless, whilst flooding of the wetlands will destroy the habitats of migratory birds and some endangered wildlife species such as marine turtle. Effective adaptation measures should be adopted to protect this very important coastal environment, the ecology of the wetlands and the livelihoods of the community dwellers.

Download Full-text

Sea-level rise along the Emilia-Romagna coast (Northern Italy) in 2100: scenarios and impacts

Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ◽

10.5194/nhess-17-2271-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (12) ◽

pp. 2271-2287 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Luisa Perini ◽

Lorenzo Calabrese ◽

Paolo Luciani ◽

Marco Olivieri ◽

Gaia Galassi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Land Subsidence ◽

Coastal Plain ◽

River Mouth ◽

Northern Italy ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Mitigation And Adaptation ◽

The Impact

Abstract. As a consequence of climate change and land subsidence, coastal zones are directly impacted by sea-level rise. In some particular areas, the effects on the ecosystem and urbanisation are particularly enhanced. We focus on the Emilia-Romagna (E-R) coastal plain in Northern Italy, bounded by the Po river mouth to the north and by the Apennines to the south. The plain is ∼ 130 km long and is characterised by wide areas below mean sea level, in part made up of reclaimed wetlands. In this context, several morphodynamic factors make the shore and back shore unstable. During next decades, the combined effects of land subsidence and of the sea-level rise as a result of climate change are expected to enhance the shoreline instability, leading to further retreat. The consequent loss of beaches would impact the economy of the region, which is tightly connected with tourism infrastructures. Furthermore, the loss of wetlands and dunes would threaten the ecosystem, which is crucial for the preservation of life and the environment. These specific conditions show the importance of a precise definition of the possible local impacts of the ongoing and future climate variations. The aim of this work is the characterisation of vulnerability in different sectors of the coastal plain and the recognition of the areas in which human intervention is urgently required. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) sea-level scenarios are merged with new high-resolution terrain models, current data for local subsidence and predictions of the flooding model in_CoastFlood in order to develop different scenarios for the impact of sea-level rise projected to year 2100. First, the potential land loss due to the combined effect of subsidence and sea-level rise is extrapolated. Second, the increase in floodable areas as a result of storm surges is quantitatively determined. The results are expected to support the regional mitigation and adaptation strategies designed in response to climate change.

Download Full-text

Climate Bridge Fund: Tackling Climate Migration in Bangladesh by Bridging Stakeholder Gaps

10.54026/esecr/1031 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (5) ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Golam Rabbani

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Assessment Report ◽

Riverbank Erosion ◽

Floods And Droughts ◽

And Migration

Climate change is already happening. In the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that about 72 million people will be displaced with 0.5-metre sea level rise if there is no investment in adaptation. In the case of a 2.0-metre rise, that number of people will be pushed to 187 million. IPCC also provides evidence on increased displacement and migration due to floods and droughts in many countries including Bangladesh. It has been reported “22% of households affected by tidal-surge floods and 16% of households that were affected by riverbank erosion moved to urban areas in Bangladesh”

Download Full-text

‘Carbon colonialism’: Pacific environmental risk, media credibility and a deliberative perspective

Pacific Journalism Review – Te Koakoa ◽

10.24135/pjr.v20i2.166 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 59 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

David Robie

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Environmental Risk ◽

Aid Effectiveness ◽

Marshall Islands ◽

Small Island ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Assessment Report ◽

The Pacific ◽

Media Credibility ◽

The Impact

The effects of climate change are already occurring in all continents and across the oceans, and the situation has deteriorated since the last account in 2007, warned the United Nations scientific agency charged with monitoring and assessing the risks earlier this year. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC, 2014), the world is ill-prepared to manage warming and an increase in magnitude is likely to lead to ‘severe and pervasive impacts that may be surprising or irreversible’. Seriously at risk are Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including several in the Pacific, such as Kiribati, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu. The UN has declared 2014 as the International Year of SIDS and a summit was hosted in Samoa during September. Living in one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to the impact of climate change and the challenges of aid effectiveness and adaptation funding, journalists are at a critical crossroads. This article examines environmental risk, media creativity and a contradiction between normative and traditional Western journalism values and the Pacific profession’s own challenges of ‘adaptation’ in telling the story of global warming with a deliberative perspective.Caption: Figure 2: Climate Change Warriors from Fiji: ‘We are not drowning. We are fighting.’ world.350.org/pacificwarriors/

Download Full-text

Assessing impacts of climate change, sea level rise, and drainage canals on saltwater intrusion to coastal aquifer

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/hessd-9-7969-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 9 (7) ◽

pp. 7969-8026 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

P. Rasmussen ◽

T. O. Sonnenborg ◽

G. Goncear ◽

K. Hinsby

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Groundwater Recharge ◽

Sea Level ◽

Saltwater Intrusion ◽

Sea Water ◽

Barrier Islands ◽

Drainage Canal ◽

The Impact ◽

Chloride Concentrations

Abstract. Groundwater abstraction from coastal aquifers is vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise because both may potentially impact saltwater intrusion and hence groundwater quality depending on the hydrogeological setting. In the present study the impacts of sea level rise and changes in groundwater recharge are quantified for an island located in the Western Baltic Sea. Agricultural land dominates the western and central parts of the island, which geologically are developed as push moraine hills and a former lagoon (later wetland area) behind barrier islands to the east. The low-lying central area of the island was extensively drained and reclaimed during the second half of the 19th century. Summer cottages along the beach on the former barrier islands dominate the eastern part of the island. The main water abstraction is for holiday cottages during the summer period (June–August). The water is abstracted from 11 wells drilled to a depth of around 20 m in the upper 5–10 m of a confined chalk aquifer. Increasing chloride concentrations have been observed in several abstraction wells and in some cases the WHO drinking water standard has been exceeded. Using the modeling package MODFLOW/MT3D/SEAWAT the historical, present and future freshwater–sea water distribution is simulated. The model is calibrated against hydraulic head observations and validated against geochemical and geophysical data from new investigation wells, including borehole logs, and from an airborne transient electromagnetic survey. The impact of climate changes on saltwater intrusion is found to be sensitive to the boundary conditions of the investigated system. For the flux-controlled aquifer to the west of the drained area only changes in groundwater recharge impacts the freshwater–sea water interface whereas sea level rise do not result in increasing sea water intrusion. However, on the barrier islands to the east of the reclaimed area below which the sea is hydraulically connected to the drainage canal, and the boundary of the flow system therefore controlled, the projected changes in sea level, groundwater recharge and stage of the drainage canal all have significant impacts on saltwater intrusion and hence the chloride concentrations found in the abstraction wells.

Download Full-text

Assessing the impact of sea level rise due to climate change on seawater intrusion in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.2018.038 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 77 (6) ◽

pp. 1632-1639 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

D. T. Vu ◽

T. Yamada ◽

H. Ishidaira

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Sea Water ◽

Mekong Delta ◽

Baseline Period ◽

Salinity Intrusion ◽

1D Modeling ◽

The Impact ◽

Regional Rainfall

Abstract In the context of climate change, salinity intrusion into rivers has been, and will be, one of the most important issues for coastal water resources management. A combination of changes, including increased temperature, change in regional rainfall, especially sea level rise (SLR) related to climate change, will have significant impacts on this phenomenon. This paper presents the outcomes of a study conducted in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam (MKD) for evaluating the effect of sea water intrusion under a new SLR scenario. Salinity intrusion was simulated by one-dimensional (1D) modeling. The relative sea level projection was constructed corresponding to the RCP 6.0 emission scenario for MKD based on the statistical downscaling method. The sea level in 2050 is projected to increase from 25 cm to 30 cm compared to the baseline period (in 2000). Furthermore, the simulated results suggested that salinity greater than 4 g/l, which affects rice yield, will intrude up to 50–60 km into the river. Approximately 30,000 ha of agricultural area will be affected if the sea level rise is 30 cm.

Download Full-text