Decision dilemmas for adaptation to sea level rise: how to, when to?

Abstract

This paper is part of ongoing research designed to develop a dynamic model for assessing the vulnerability of waterfront properties to sea-level rise (SLR), and to evaluate adaptation options. SLR is one of the best recognized effects of projected climate change within recent literature, and is expected to continue for centuries. Increased storm surge height, due to SLR, may place many coastal properties in danger of erosion and inundation, and millions of people living near the sea may be forced to relocate. If SLR is a fact, decision makers will need to have better tools to understand the extent and timing of coastal hazards. Considering the complexity and dynamic nature of coastal systems interacting and changing over time, this research focuses on modeling temporal and spatial variations of coastal flooding in assessing the vulnerability of these systems to SLR