Lost Material Stock in Buildings due to Sea Level Rise from Global Warming: The Case of Fiji Islands

This study developed a methodology to estimate the amount of construction material in coastal buildings which are lost due to climate change-induced sea level rise. The Republic of Fiji was chosen as a case study; sea level rise is based on predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for the years 2050 and 2100. This study combines the concept of a geographic information system based digital inundation analysis with the concept of a material stock analysis. The findings show that about 4.5% of all existing buildings on Fiji will be inundated by 2050 because of an expected global sea level rise of 0.22 m (scenario 1) and 6.2% by 2100 for a sea level rise of 0.63 m (scenario 2). The number of buildings inundated by 2050 is equivalent to 40% of the average number of new constructed buildings in Fiji Islands in a single year. Overall, the amount of materials present in buildings which will be inundated by 2050 is 900,000 metric tons (815,650 metric tons of concrete, 52,100 metric tons of timber, and 31,680 metric tons of steel). By 2100, this amount is expected to grow to 1,151,000 metric tons (1,130,160 metric tons of concrete, 69,760 metric tons of timber, and 51,320 metric tons of steel). The results shall contribute in enhancing urban planning, climate change adaptation strategies, and the estimation of future demolition flows in small island developing states.

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The Impact of Sea-Level Rise on Tourism Small Islands a Case Study of Wenzhou Island during the Pre-COVID-19 Pandemic Period

CONVERTER ◽

10.17762/converter.285 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 236-241

Author(s):

Yichia Lin, Wenlung Chang, Wongchai Anupong

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Resource Planning ◽

Small Island ◽

Small Islands ◽

Daily Lives ◽

Tourist Attractions ◽

The Impact

During the COVID-19 pandemic period, island tourism experienced a severe impact. Island tourism is a thriving tourism model, but it is greatly affected by the SLR (sea level rise) due to climate change. Small island tourism must to face flooding problems that cause sea-level rise. GIS can be used to plan and monitor land use. This case study uses GIS (Geography information system) pre-COVID-19 pandemic period to predict flooding at different scales. After three different scales of digitization processing, it is found that: Overall, the flood area is located in the northern part of the island. The relationship is consistent, that is, the flood season is directly proportional to the peak tourist season. Sea level rise will cause changes in tourist attractions on the island; residents' daily lives will face major changes. This study provides a small amount of inundation scale predictions at different scales; hopes to be helpful for the island’s tourism resource planning and residents’ adaptation. To avoid add climate change refugees and rational use of tourism resources on lack nature resource small islands.

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Predicting the impacts of sea level rise in sea turtle nesting habitat on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea

10.1101/760538 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Callie A. Veelenturf ◽

Elizabeth M. Sinclair ◽

Frank V. Paladino ◽

Shaya Honarvar

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Sea Turtle ◽

Equatorial Guinea ◽

Nesting Habitat ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Bioko Island ◽

The Government ◽

Global Sea Level

AbstractSea level is expected to rise 44 to 74 cm by the year 2100, which may have critical, previously un-investigated implications for sea turtle nesting habitat on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. This study investigates how nesting habitat will likely be lost and altered with various increases in sea level, using global sea level rise (SLR) predictions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Beach profiling datasets from Bioko’s five southern nesting beaches were used in GIS to create models to estimate habitat loss with predicted increases in sea level by years 2046-2065 and 2081-2100. The models indicate that an average of 62% of Bioko’s current nesting habitat could be lost by 2046-2065 and 87% by the years 2081-2100. Beach D is predicted to be the least vulnerable to increases in sea level. Erosion and tall vegetation berms have been documented on Beaches A and B, causing green turtles to nest uncharacteristically in front of the vegetation line. Development plans are currently underway for Beach D. With Beach D being the least susceptible to future increases in sea level, development and anthropogenic encroachment here would be especially detrimental to nesting turtle populations. Identified habitat sensitivities to SLR will be used to inform the government of Equatorial Guinea to consider the vulnerability of their resident turtle populations and projected climate change implications when planning for future development. To our knowledge this is the first study to predict the impacts of SLR on sea turtle nesting habitat in Africa.

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Climate Change and Changing Coasts

The Korean Journal of International and Comparative Law ◽

10.1163/22134484-12340078 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 36-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Clive Schofield

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Coastal Ecosystems ◽

Small Island ◽

Small Island Developing States ◽

Relative Sea Level ◽

The Pacific ◽

Global Sea Level

Sea level rise has provoked widespread concerns that low-lying parts of coastal States including parts or even the entirety of small island developing States face a looming threat of erosion and inundation. Concerns over the potential impacts of sea level rise on the location of baselines along the coast and therefore on the scope of national claims to maritime jurisdiction have also been raised. The article outlines climate change impacts on the oceans before briefly reviewing projections of sea level rise. A number of the complexities and uncertainties which make prediction of the scale and speed of global sea level rise problematic are highlighted. The importance of assessing relative sea level against the contrasting responses of coasts with diverse geophysical characteristics and distinct coastal ecosystems is emphasised. Potential impacts on island coastlines in the Pacific are then considered and implications maritime claims discussed.

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

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137503 ◽

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.

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

Health Services Insights ◽

10.1177/11786329211020857 ◽

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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Greenland ice sheet contribution to sea level rise during the last interglacial period: a modelling study driven and constrained by ice core data

Climate of the Past ◽

10.5194/cp-9-353-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 353-366 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

A. Quiquet ◽

C. Ritz ◽

H. J. Punge ◽

D. Salas y Mélia

Keyword(s):

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Ice Core ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

Interglacial Period ◽

Last Interglacial ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Orbital Configuration ◽

Global Sea Level

Abstract. As pointed out by the forth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC-AR4 (Meehl et al., 2007), the contribution of the two major ice sheets, Antarctica and Greenland, to global sea level rise, is a subject of key importance for the scientific community. By the end of the next century, a 3–5 °C warming is expected in Greenland. Similar temperatures in this region were reached during the last interglacial (LIG) period, 130–115 ka BP, due to a change in orbital configuration rather than to an anthropogenic forcing. Ice core evidence suggests that the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) survived this warm period, but great uncertainties remain about the total Greenland ice reduction during the LIG. Here we perform long-term simulations of the GIS using an improved ice sheet model. Both the methodologies chosen to reconstruct palaeoclimate and to calibrate the model are strongly based on proxy data. We suggest a relatively low contribution to LIG sea level rise from Greenland melting, ranging from 0.7 to 1.5 m of sea level equivalent, contrasting with previous studies. Our results suggest an important contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to the LIG highstand.

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An integrated framework for urban resilience to climate change – Case study: Sea level rise impacts on the Nile Delta coastal urban areas

Urban Climate ◽

10.1016/j.uclim.2015.09.005 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 554-565 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

M.A. Abdrabo ◽

Mahmoud A. Hassaan

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Nile Delta ◽

Urban Resilience ◽

Integrated Framework ◽

Sea Level Rise Impacts

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Rising Sea Level, Receding Boundaries and Freezing Baselines in a Warming Climate

Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology ◽

10.9734/cjast/2019/v36i630260 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Emojong Amai Mercy ◽

Eliud Garry Michura

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Future Climate Change ◽

Maritime Boundary ◽

Climate Change Effect ◽

Global Sea Level ◽

Comprehensive Framework ◽

Maritime Boundary Delimitation ◽

International Boundaries

This paper discusses the less publicised but far from less significant, an issue of how the international community’s approach to maritime boundary delimitation will be impacted by climate change resulting in sea level rise with coastal lands submerging affecting the international boundaries and impacting on biodiversity and human survival in the future. The climate change effect is already creating pressure on international law regardless of the direction that the law of the sea takes in remedying this dilemma. It is quite apparent that global disputes and conflicts are arising and solutions are needed urgently. The climate change and the consequent global sea level rise are widely touted to submerge islands and coastlines without discrimination. The international community has been relatively slow to react to what could pose an unprecedented threat to human civilisation. The policies that have been applied have arguably been reactive and not proactive. In future climate change may develop other by-products which may not be understood at this moment and may require a proactive approach. Further discussion of the merits of the potential paths is ideal in ensuring that appropriate and well thought-out resolutions are negotiated. Regardless of the outcome, the thorough debate is required to ensure the correct decision is made and that the balancing act between fulfilling states' interests and achieving a meaningful result does not become detrimental to the solidity and the enforceability of the outcome. There is a need to establish a comprehensive framework for ocean governance for management and long-term development and sustainability.

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Climate Change Impact in the Ria de Aveiro Lagoon Ecosystem: A Case Study

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering ◽

10.3390/jmse7100352 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (10) ◽

pp. 352 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lopes ◽

Dias

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Water Temperature ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Inorganic Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Concentration ◽

Ria De Aveiro ◽

Global Sea Level ◽

The Impact ◽

Aveiro Lagoon

Climate change and global sea-level rise are major issues of the 21st century. The main goal of this study is to assess the physical and biogeochemical status of the Ria de Aveiro lagoon (Portugal) under future climate scenarios, using a coupled physical/ eutrophication model. The impact on the lagoon ecosystem status of the mean sea level rise (MSLR), the amplitude rise of the M2 tidal constituent (M2R), the changes in the river discharge, and the rising of the air temperature was investigated. Under MSLR and M2R, the results point to an overall salinity increase and water temperature decrease, revealing ocean water dominance. The main lagoon areas presented salinity values close to those of the ocean waters (~34 PSU), while a high range of salinity was presented for the river and the far end areas (20–34 PSU). The water temperature showed a decrease of approximately 0.5–1.5 °C. The responses of the biogeochemical variables reflect the increase of the oceanic inflow (transparent and nutrient-poor water) or the reduction of the river flows (nutrient-rich waters). The results evidenced, under the scenarios, an overall decreasing of the inorganic nitrogen concentration and the carbon phytoplankton concentrations. A warm climate, although increasing the water temperature, does not seem to affect the lagoon’s main status, at least in the frame of the model used in the study.

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