The impact of selected sea level rise scenarios in the vicinity of Cochin harbour, India

Abstract

The physical response of selected sea level rise scenarios on a stretch of barrier beach in the vicinity of Cochin harbour, India are investigated with a thrust on quantifying landward displacement of the land/water interface. To model shoreline reconfiguration in response to different sea level rise scenarios, the method of empirical distribution of new shorelines using trend lines which accounts for the inherent variability in shoreline response based on differing coastal processes is employed. Increases in shoreline recession and associated coastal flooding that would occur are predicted which indicated that a future sea level rise will bring about extensive land use changes in the region and in the coming decades sea level rise may become one of the major issues facing the coastal communities. It is emphasised that any long term planning in the vicinity must consider the risk of future sea level rise too