An acceleration of coastal overtopping around the world

By combining satellite data and digital models, the researchers have shown that coastal overtopping, and consequently the risk of flooding, is set to further accelerate over the 21st century, by up to 50-fold under a high emission global warming scenario, especially in the tropics. This increase is principally caused by a combination of sea level rise and ocean waves. 

Low-lying coastal regions host nearly 10% of the world's population. In addition to ongoing erosion and rising sea levels, these areas and their unique ecosystems are facing destructive hazards, including episodic flooding due to overtopping of natural/artificial protection, as in the case of Hurricane Katrina, which hit the United States in 2005, Cyclone Xynthia in Europe in 2010, and Typhoon Haiyan in Asia in 2013 (the largest tropical cyclone ever measured). These episodic events are expected to become more severe and more frequent due to global warming, while the consequences will also increase due to increased anthropogenic pressure, such as coastal and infrastructure development, rapid urbanisation. Although the magnitude and frequency of these events remain uncertain, scientists believe that countries in the tropics will be particularly affected.

Despite the significant role ocean waves play in determining coastal sea levels, their contribution to coastal flooding had previously been largely overlooked, mainly due to a lack of accurate coastal topographic information.

Link to paper 'A global analysis of extreme coastal water levels with implications for potential coastal overtopping', Nature Communications.

Measuring past events to estimate future risks

This study combined an unprecedented global digital model for surface elevation with new estimates of the extreme sea levels. These extreme water levels contain tides, analysis of wind-driven waves and existing measurements of natural and artificial coastal defences.

The study started by quantifying the increase in global submersion events that occurred between 1993 and 2015. To accomplish this, satellite data was used to define two key parameters for coastal topography: the local beach-slope and maximum subaerial elevation of the coasts. The extreme level of coastal waters was calculated in hourly time steps in order to identify the potential annual number of hours during which coastal defences could be overtopped in each area.

“The combination of tides and episodes of large waves is the main contributor to episodes of coastal overflow,” says Rosh Ranasinghe, Professor of Climate Change impacts and Coastal Risk at IHE Delft. “We identified hot-spots, where the increase in risks of overtopping is higher, such as in the Gulf of Mexico, the Southern Mediterranean, West Africa, Madagascar and the Baltic Sea.”

Acceleration during the 21st century

The scientists also performed an initial global assessment of the potential coastal overtopping over the 21st century, by taking into account different sea-level rise scenarios. Results show that the number of overtopping hours could increase with a faster pace than the average rate of sea-level rise. “The frequency of overtopping is accelerating rapidly and will be clearly perceptible as early as 2050, regardless of the climate scenario. By the end of the century, the intensity of the acceleration will depend on the future trajectories of greenhouse gas emissions and therefore the rise in sea-level. In the case of a high emissions scenario, the number of overtopping hours globally could increase fifty-fold compared with current levels,”

Prof. Ranasinghe warns. “As we move ahead in the 21st century, more and more regions will be exposed to overtopping and consequent coastal flooding, especially in the tropics, north-western United States, Scandinavia, and the Far East of Russia.”

References and partners

Rafael Almar, Roshanka Ranasinghe, Erwin W.J. Bergsma, Harold Diaz, Angelique Melet, Fabrice Papa, Michalis Vousdoukas, Panagiotis Athanasiou, Olusegun Dada, Luis Pedro Almeida, Elodie Kestenare. A global analysis of extreme coastal water levels with implications for potential coastal overtopping, Nature Communications, 18 June 2021. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24008-9.

Institut de recherche pour le developpement (France); IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Harbour, Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Deltares, University of Twente (The Netherlands); Universidade de Brasilia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil); Joint Research Centre (European Commission, Italy); Federal University of Technology Akure (Nigeria); +ATLANTIC (Portugal).

More information

Video interview with Rosh Ranasinghe for the AXA Chair program on Climate change impacts and coastal risk at IHE Delft, The Netherlands

Waves disrupt sea levels: read more on IRD le Mag’.

Observing coastal erosion from space: video (in French) by IRD Images.