Control of Erosion, Inundation, and Salinity Intrusion Caused by Sea Level Rise

Material Information

Title:
Control of Erosion, Inundation, and Salinity Intrusion Caused by Sea Level Rise
Series Title:
Erosion, Inundation, and Salinity Intrustion
Creator:
Robert M. Sorensen
Richard N. Weisman
Gerard P. Lennon
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climate Change
Sea Level Rise
Erosion
Salinity

Notes

Abstract:
The most important direct physical effects of a significant rise in mean sea level are: coastal erosion, shoreline inundation owing to higher normal tide levels plus increased temporary surge levels during storms, and saltwater intrusion primarily into estuaries and groundwater aquifers (see Ippen, 1966; Komar, 1976; Sorensen, 1978; and Todd, 1980, for basic discussions of these phenomena). With a few exceptions, a significant sea level rise will increase the normally adverse effects of these phenomena. In many coastal areas, economic considerations will not justify a response to these sea level rise effects. Where a response is justified, it may be political (zoning to prevent growth in areas of potential inundation and erosion), structural (building of coastal dikes to control inundation or saltwater intrusion barriers for aquifers) or, most likely, a combined political/structural response. This chapter describes structural methods for controlling erosion, inundation, and salinity intrusion caused by sea level rise, including typical costs and the expected general effectiveness of these methods (in light of the anticipated sea level rise scenarios).1 Both "hard" and "soft" structural responses are presented. The term hard structures refers tostructures such as seawalls and levees. Soft structural responses include artificial beach nourishment to counter erosion and flooding or injection of water into a well along the coast to develop a saltwater intrusion, barrier in an aquifer. Both the cost and the effectiveness of any structural control method are extremely site dependent and quite variable from site to site. The next section of this chapter covers methods for the control of erosion and inundation, while the third discusses control of salinity intrusion. Inundation is a major cause of, and is difficult to separate from, shore erosion where erosion is active; thus the two are presented together. Each section discusses, as necessary, the processes involved in coastal erosion, inundation, and salinity intrusion; the basic approaches used to control these phenomena; and details of the specific control methods including their costs and effectiveness. The final section of the chapter summarizes the key points and suggests how these control methods might be applied at a given site.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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Aggregations:
Sea Level Rise