Sea Level Rise and Coasts at Risk: Research aims

Evaluation of coastal development and future hazards
In future, intensive investigations are required in order to obtain more information on which coastal stretches are at greatest risk from rises in sea level. Two junior research groups will take on this task within the framework of the cluster element "Sea-Level Rise and Coasts at Risk":

The junior research group  "Sea-Level Rise and Physical-Morphological Changes in Coastal Seas" will focus on analysis of the interactions at the interface of land and sea, of fresh water/salt water and water column sediments. Insights into the water column and the seafloor's composition and structures will be combined with information on sediment transport, deposition and erosion, in order to make predictions on hazards, in particular in areas around the mouths of rivers. The central aim is the development of high resolution spatio-temporal methods that will permit the visualization of complex four-dimensional hydrodynamic structures and sediment flows in the water column. In addition, sediment structures on and below the seafloor will be documented. In parallel, seismic and georadar measurements made on land will aid in visualizing changes in the coast lines. Strategies for the assessment of coastal risks can then be developed based on these different components.

Many people live on coasts and their living space is therefore endangered by rises in sea levels, thus making assessment of future coastal development of great importance! The following key topics are of interest for an "Analysis of Change" based on different scenarios for rises in sea levels due to climate change and the associated shift in coast lines:

• changes in the slope of the seafloor close to coasts
• changes in the oceanic circulation close to coasts
• effects on the coastal sediment budget, including rates and balances for erosion, sedimentation and sediment movement
• effects on biological and ecological systems
• adverse effects on coastal infrastructure

The junior research group, which is positioned at the interface of marine sedimentology and marine geophysics, will pay particular attention to changes to systems around the mouths of rivers and neighbouring coastal areas caused by the increases in sea levels:

• the destruction of river deltas or their reshaping into estuaries,
• landward shifts in coastlines and
• the landward shift in the salt water/fresh water boundary in ground water that can result in contamination of sources of drinking water,
  
  

are important research aims for the junior research group.

The second junior research group "From Coastal Hazards and Vulnerability to Risk Management" will combine the information that has been collected with socio-economic and ecological data for the development of quantitative, model-based tools for risk assessment. Its priority is to identify potential natural hazards such as rises in sea level, storm tides, hurricanes or tsunamis in selected coastal regions and evaluate the resulting damage from social, economic and ecological perspectives for an assessment of the costs and benefits of preventative and protective measures. The aim is to achieve an integrated and efficient risk management system that can then be used by decision-making bodies, planners or also insurance companies to avoid or reduce future consequences of risks posed by the ocean.