Assessing the impact of sealevel rise on vulnerable coastal communities in a remote sensing environment

Abstract

Inundation and the episodic flooding caused by spring tide in low-lying coastal environments are expected to increase due to sea level rise caused by global warming. This development threatens both human settlement and natural habitats within such vulnerable areas. Sea level rise is a significant and growing danger to the coastal communities worldwide. The impact of sea level rise will be more pronounced in developing countries where data for sustainable managing the impacts of seal level rise within the Dansoman coastal community in Accra, Ghana. Impact of future seal level rise was modeled using SIMclim model, which is based on the modified Bruun rule. The IPCC predicted global scenarios, tidal and wave climates, historic rte of erosion and other geomorphic parameters were model input parameters. The simulated results were overlaid on near vertical aerial photographs obtained in 2005 and analysed. It emerged that the shoreline in Dansoman could recede by about 202 m inland by the 2100 with baseline from 1970-1990, which compared fairly well with an earlier study by Appeaning Addo, et. al., (2008). The study also revealed that about 84% of the local dwellers in the Dansoman coastal community are aware of the rising seal level in the coastal area. However, a significant percentage of this number do not understand the causes of seal level rise and have poor measures of adapting to the effects of flood disasters. It came out that approximately 645,556 people, 926 buildings and a total area of about 0.78km2 of land are vulnerable to permanent inundation by the year 2100. The study has demonstrated that there will be considerable losses to both life and property by the year 2100 in the Dansoman coastal area in the likely event of sea level rise.