Effects of climate change on coastal defences
An assessment of how vulnerable coastal defences might become as a result of climate change between 2000 and 2075.
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Details
Background
Climate change will have a considerable impact on the coast. This report assessed how vulnerable coastal defences might become, and the effect of global climate change over the next 75 years on the risk of flood and erosion.
Approach
Three methods were used to estimate the effects on coastal defences between 2000 and 2075 at five test sites around the English and Welsh coastline. Present and future simulations were used to calculate how coastal defences would respond to specific combined waves and water levels. This also included how sediment would be moved by currents (longshore drift) and how this would compare to current average drift rates.
Outcome
The results of this project will improve planning for flood and coastal defence strategies and provide data to be included in future Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs). The results from the test sites cannot be transferred directly to other sites due to different tidal ranges, wave climates and surge levels. However, the modelled scenarios give an idea of how vulnerable coastal defences might become over the next 75 years.
This project ran from 2000 to 2001 at a cost of £150,000.