16.) Coastal Flooding

What is Eustatic Sea Level Change

Global change - ice melting / thermosteric sea level rise

What is Isostatic Sea Level Change

Local change - vertical movements of land (mass movement)

What are the 4 causes of Coastal Flooding

Sea level rise / Storm Surges / Tsunami's / Coastal Erosion

Describe Storm Surges

Strong winds from a low pressure storm push seawater towards the shore, raising sea levels above normal. This excess water overwhelms coastal defences and floods low-lying land, especially at high tide

Describe Tsunami's

Generated by an earthquake, where a tectonic plate moves, it leads to displacement of water, which travels at high speeds as energy to a destination.

Describe Coastal Erosion

This causes for the removal of natural barriers, so therefore less protection of the coast, and more vulnerability to flooding"

How do sea level’s rise because of global warming

Thermal expansion

Melting of ice

What is a spring tide

When there is a higher than average tide, as the Sun, Moon and Earth are aligned, resulting in a stronger grav. pull. Happens 2x a moth

What is a neap tide

Opposite to a spring tide

How do we Predict flooding

Early warning systems allow communities to prepare before flooding occurs :

Records of past events help identify areas that are at high risk of flooding

Modern technology like GIS and satellite monitoring can track a tropical storm’s path or monitor tectonic activity

How do we Prevent flooding

Prevention is about taking action that reduces removes the risk of coastal flooding :

Flood defences…

Emergency centres - places on higher ground to be safe from flooding

Buffer zones - Areas f land which CAN flood, to dissipate the energy of the flood